Today is the day.
A fortnight has passed since I saw Dr. Angela Ziegler for my routine physical examination. She carried that out with love and care, and selflessly did more for me than she had to - even including a hair trim. Now, it is time for my scheduled cybernetic maintenance.
As I make my way towards the Watchpoint's medical building, I can't help but feel a sense of deja vu. It really doesn't seem like I was here two weeks ago, it only feels like yesterday that Dr. Ziegler tended to me and scheduled my current appointment. But here I am again.
Even though I am naturally slightly nervous about the procedure I am due to undergo, I smile to myself at the fact that I'll be seeing Dr. Ziegler again.
With her, everything will be okay.
I enter the large building and walk down a series of corridors. Instead of heading towards Dr. Ziegler's office, I make my way in a different direction towards the operating room, like the doctor instructed me to. As I pass through the hallways, a thought comes to me.
This part of the building is probably where I would have been made.
I can't remember exactly where I was brought when Overwatch found me that time all those years ago. It was either here or the Swiss base. Possibly here. But it's all a hazy blur to me now.
Trying not to dwell on this too much, I continue walking until I reach a set of doors with a sign above them. The sign reads "Operating Theatre".
Well, I am here now.
I look at the clock on the far wall opposite me, which reads 11:58. I am still slightly early, so I sit down on one of the benches at the far wall and wait.
I am not left waiting for long, however.
A minute or so later, a figure comes through the set of doors.
"Genji Shimada?"
My heart skips a beat when I realise who had called my name. I look in the direction of the voice, and straight into the fair-featured face of my beloved doctor. Not wearing her usual work attire, she is instead dressed from head to toe in blue-green surgical scrubs, bouffant cap and all. A pale surgical mask hangs from around her neck, which allows me to see her smile despite the seriousness of her scheduled task.
"Greetings, Dr. Ziegler," I say to the doctor.
She laughs softly.
"Genji, you know there is no need to be so formal," she replies. "Though I suppose I can understand in this situation."
She pauses, and her expression grows slightly more serious before she continues.
"You're here for your scheduled maintenance, am I correct?"
I nod.
"How are you feeling?"
I take a slightly shaky breath and let it out before replying.
"A little nervous."
Dr. Ziegler smiles sympathetically as she walks over to me.
"You'll be fine, Genji. Everything will be okay."
She looks into my still-covered face for a few moments before looking at the clock.
"It's time. Come and we'll get this over with."
Placing the mask over her delicate face, the kindly blonde doctor turns and walks through the doors. She motions for me to follow her inside. Swallowing a little uneasily, I get up and go after her.
There is no turning back now.
I enter the operating room and take in my surroundings. The space is large and very technological-looking, with white and grey walls and equipment. A large white padded table with a round lamp overhead lies in the centre of the room, and various screens, monitors and devices surround it. Several other surgeons and cyberneticists, dressed the same way as Dr. Ziegler but whom I do not individually recognize, busy themselves preparing for my procedure. Suddenly, the same unnerving thought enters my anxious mind.
This is possibly where I was made a cyborg. This could be where I lost my humanity.
There is simply too much too take in in this sterile environment, and it does nothing to calm my nerves. Nevertheless, I am here for a reason, so I continue to follow my doctor until she stops at the table.
"Now, Genji," Dr. Ziegler begins. "Just remove your helmet for me before we get started."
I oblige and remove the metal covering from my face and head, which the doctor takes from me and hands to one of the others.
Even though most of her face is hidden, I can see that her eyes are smiling. I can tell that she is trying to be positive and cheerful, presumably in an effort to soothe my nervousness.
"Very good," she says gently. "Now, get onto the table and lie on your back. I'll be with you again in a moment."
As Dr. Ziegler goes to prepare herself and her equipment, I pull myself up onto the edge of the operating table. I shift around a few times, before lying horizontally as I was told. As I look up at the devices overhead, I take a series of deep breaths as I try to calm myself.
I really shouldn't be worrying so much. If Angela has anything to do with this, I should be fine.
I look over at the activity that surrounds me. Even though Dr. Ziegler is hard to tell apart in her sterile garments, somehow by the way she does things I can pick her out from everyone else. Her actions are calm and controlled, which reassures me as I watch her.
A few moments later, Dr. Ziegler returns to my side once more, along with several of the other surgeons. This time, they are also wearing protective goggles over their eyes, my doctor included. With her sanitized gloved hands, she brings over what looks like a set of wires and some sort of wheeled machine. The other surgeons bring over a trolley containing various different implements, some of which I do not know the function.
"Now," Dr. Ziegler begins, looking down at me. "Before we start your anaesthesia, we need to connect you to this device. It's important that your power supply is grounded so we can maintain you safely."
I nod in acknowledgment.
"It won't hurt," the kindly doctor says gently. "Don't worry."
I give a little smile as she gets to work.
A moment later, Dr. Ziegler hands the bunch of wires to one of the others, before taking one of the wires and connecting it to one of my right shoulder ports.
The feeling doesn't hurt - the doctor was right - but at the same time, it's definitely not one I'm used to. Still, if it doesn't hurt I have no reason to complain. Especially if it's my beloved Swiss doctor carrying out the task.
I hear Dr. Ziegler behind me as she plugs the wire into the device, before she takes another one and repeats the procedure with one of my other shoulder ports. I keep looking upwards while the doctor continues to do this with the other ports on my body, including both shoulders, the sides of my neck plating, the centre of my chest and my hips. By this point I have calmed down a little, and I instead focus my attention on the work of my doctor as she plugs the last wire into its place on the machine. She signals to one of the other surgeons, who remotely activates the machine with a smaller handheld device. I hear a low, steady hum behind me as it comes to life.
"That should discharge your power," Dr. Ziegler says to me.
She pauses before continuing.
"As most of your body is mechanical, you won't need an IV. At least not during the maintenance process."
Inwardly, I am relieved.
Dr. Ziegler continues.
"Because you don't need an IV, we can set up your anaesthesia straight away so your maintenance can begin. Your heart monitor will be taken care of once your chest plating is removed."
She gently smiles down at me, and my eyes stay fixed on her masked face. Even with most of her face and head covered, she still looks as beautiful as ever.
In fact, with her cap and mask, Dr. Ziegler is not dissimilar in appearance to me when I wear my visor.
I smile back, somewhat amused by the thought that just occurred to me.
To my left, one of the surgeons retrieves the required apparatus. Instead of watching, I stay focused on my beloved doctor as she keeps track of the others' movements.
Please let everything be okay. Please, Angela.
Dr. Ziegler addresses me once more.
"This will put you into a nice deep sleep. You won't feel or remember anything. Just relax, Genji."
Her gloved hand lightly strokes the right side of my face, and her blue-eyed gaze remains intently fixed on mine as the other surgeon places the oxygen mask over my nose and mouth.
"Just keep taking deep breaths until you fall asleep," the kindly Swiss doctor says softly, almost a whisper, while she continues gently stroking my face.
As I begin to inhale the gas, the world around me gradually starts to become a blur. I remain focused on Dr. Ziegler, but as the anaesthetic begins to properly take effect, it becomes more and more difficult. My eyelids grow heavier and heavier, and soon the only thing my mind registers is the presence of my beloved doctor, and the sensation of her hand on my face. Even when her face begins to blur too, and every sound blends with the next, the only thing that stays clear to me is the soothing motion of the caring gloved hand stroking my skin.
I try to hold on to Dr. Ziegler for as long as possible.
...Please be there for me when I wake up, Angela... I love you...
Everything blurs completely, sights and sounds alike, and the last thing I remember before succumbing entirely to the anaesthetic is the gentle stroking of the doctor's fingers over my face.
Ugh... Just let me sleep... why can't I stay asleep...
Groggily, I try to open my eyes, only to have them close again.
I'm so tired...
Slowly opening my eyes again, I sense the presence of someone near me through my hazy vision. Through my half-open eyes, I cannot easily tell who it is.
Then I hear a soft, gentle voice and it comes back to me.
"Genji?"
Angela.
This time, I make a better effort to keep my eyes open. As my vision clears somewhat, I can see that the figure beside me is indeed Dr. Ziegler, now dressed in her usual work attire.
I let out a low, tired groan, still feeling too sleepy to attempt words.
"Nnnnn..."
A small smile appears on my beloved doctor's face. I feel her gently take hold of my left hand.
"Welcome back, sleepyhead," she says to me in a soft voice.
Weakly, I smile back. As my vision clears some more, my mind slowly registers where I am. I am lying in a hospital bed, slightly propped up, in a different part of the Watchpoint's medical building, which I do not quite recognize. Slowly turning my head to my right, I can see that there is an IV drip inserted into the artificial muscle of my lower arm. Not wanting to think about this too much, I instead turn my attention to my left, where Dr. Ziegler stands watching over me.
I attempt to speak.
"Angela..."
I wince at the rough, hoarse sound of my voice.
A look of sympathy forms on the doctor's face as she goes to the bedside locker, which my helmet rests upon. She retrieves a plastic cup with a straw in it, which she stirs a little before offering it to me.
"Have some water, it'll help. Just take small sips, okay?"
Dr. Ziegler holds the straw to my mouth, and I gratefully accept it. I take several slow, small sips of the ice-cold liquid, and feel slightly better. The coldness of the water helps to revive my dry throat and tired body, and I soon feel my senses return more fully.
Withdrawing the cup from me, Dr. Ziegler addresses me once more.
"You can go back for more later," she says quietly. "There's a few things I need to say to you."
I reply.
"Okay."
This time, my voice sounds more like my own. Still slightly hoarse, but more normal.
Placing the cup of water on the bedside locker, Dr. Ziegler turns to me once again.
"Well, Genji," she begins. "You will be pleased to hear that everything went very smoothly during your maintenance. None of your parts had to be replaced."
She smiles at me before continuing.
"We checked your internal weapons system, including the backup one in your left arm. I didn't check up on that during your physical examination, as it's not used as often as your other one. Both are in perfect condition and should be in perfect working order. Your internal limb structure and metal limb skeleton was examined, as was your internal wiring. Speaking of which-"
Her eyes move slightly in the direction of my hair-
"-We had to shave a very small section of your hair to examine where your wiring connects to your spine, which is the back of your neck."
The doctor gently strokes her fingers over my hair for a brief moment, before going on.
"It will grow back in no time, though."
She smiles gently, and I smile back.
A moment later, Dr. Ziegler continues.
"Your body was already in very good condition, but during your maintenance we also took the opportunity to polish and clean you up a little. We buffed your plating, so any scratches or marks should now be less visible."
Sure enough, I look down at my arms and hands once more. The metal plating shines slightly in the soft daylight of the room, and the synthetic muscle fibres look like new. Looking over to the bedside locker, I can see that my helmet also looks the same.
I smile at my beloved doctor.
"Between my hair and my body, you really do know how to take good care of me," I light-heartedly say to her.
Dr. Ziegler smiles, a sweet and broad smile, and her cheeks turn slightly pink. She places a hand on the side of my face before replying.
"Of course I do," she says softly. "I made you the way you are, and it is my responsibility to make sure nothing happens to you. You may be my patient, but you're very special to me."
Now it is my turn to blush slightly.
We stay looking into each other's eyes for a few moments, until Dr. Ziegler withdraws her hand from my face. After a moment, she speaks up again.
"By the way, we have to keep you here overnight. I'm not sure if you were aware, but it's part of our policy to keep patients until at least the next day, even for routine procedures," the blonde doctor explains to me.
I nod, and she continues.
"Now that you're more fully awake, there's some little tests I need you to do to make sure everything's functioning exactly as it should. But first let me remove your IV. You don't need it at the moment. It was just an extra precaution we had to take while you were still under the anaesthetic, to make sure you didn't get dehydrated."
I acknowledge her. "Okay."
Dr. Ziegler nods and smiles before going to my right. I watch as she retrieves a pair of sterile gloves from a counter and effortlessly slides them over her hands. Returning to me after doing this, the doctor gently takes my right arm in one hand and begins to remove the gauze keeping the IV needle in place. I look away as she does this, and I can't help but wince slightly a few moments later at the uncomfortable feeling of the needle being removed.
After Dr. Ziegler is done removing the gauze and needle from my arm, she disposes of them in a nearby waste bin before returning to me and placing the IV line back in its proper place. After swiftly doing this, the Swiss doctor takes a fresh strip of gauze from the counter, as well as a small piece of cotton wool. Gently and carefully, she places these over the site of the needle puncture, where a tiny spot of blood has formed. I look over at the doctor as she does this, her soft, caring actions reminding me why I love her so much.
Dr. Ziegler pauses for a moment after completing her task. She lets go of my arm and smiles at me before addressing me once again.
"Well, that's that taken care of. There's not a lot of blood, but it's better to be safe."
I nod in acknowledgment, and the doctor continues.
"Now, I need to test if your limbs are working as they should. Everything should work fine, but it's important to be sure."
I reply. "Okay."
Dr. Ziegler just nods, before disposing of her gloves and retrieving a pen and clipboard from the counter. After doing this, she focuses on me once more before writing something down.
"Well, you can obviously nod your head, you've already done it a few times."
I chuckle as she continues.
"Can you move both hands for me?"
Obligingly, I swivel my wrists, which feel somewhat stiff after being still for so long. Still, it feels good to move again.
The Swiss doctor smiles before taking more notes.
"Very good. Can you wiggle your fingers?"
Again, I do as she says and flex my fingers on both hands, once more taking in how new everything looks.
Dr. Ziegler takes more notes before looking up again.
"Now, can you unsheath both sets of shurikens for me?"
This task takes a little more effort, partially due to the small sore spot where the IV needle was. But after a moment, the familiar metal stars roll out between the fingers of my right hand. I repeat the procedure with my left hand and leave the pointed weapons out for a few moments, before the doctor nods and goes back to her clipboard. As she writes down more information, I retract both sets of shurikens back into my forearms.
After a moment, Dr. Ziegler stops writing. She slides the pen into her breast pocket and tucks the clipboard under one arm before addressing me once more.
"Now, for the next part I'll have to test your legs. Just give me a moment to pull back your sheet so I can make it easier."
I nod, and the doctor walks back over to my bed. She takes the bed cover in her gentle hands and pulls it down to the end of the bed frame, before taking out her writing instruments once again.
"Okay. Can you flex both knees for me?"
Obligingly, I do as she says, one limb after the other. As I bend my legs I notice how stiff they feel, just like my arms before. But there is no pain, so there is obviously nothing wrong.
Dr. Ziegler takes a few more notes.
"Very good. Now, can you wiggle both feet?"
I rotate both ankles as much as I can and move my feet a few times. Satisfied, the doctor writes down more details before looking up again.
"I would ask you to wiggle your toes, but you don't really have any."
We both chuckle, before Dr. Ziegler continues.
"Well, I think that's everything for now. Any questions about your maintenance? Or did I cover everything?"
I pause before speaking up.
"It's not about my maintenance, but I would like to ask you something."
The kind doctor smiles.
"What is it?"
"Would you stay here with me for a while?"
Dr. Ziegler's smile only grows.
"Of course, Genji."
I smile back at her.
The Swiss doctor places the pen and clipboard back on the counter before going to the far side of the room. She takes a small chair from the far side of the room and places it to my right. After doing this, she pulls up the bed sheet to its original position again before taking a seat in the chair next to me.
Dr. Ziegler takes my left hand in hers, and there is companionable silence between us for a few moments before she speaks again.
"Is there anything I can get for you? A reading tablet, perhaps?"
I smile at the doctor.
"It is enough just for you to be here with me, Angela."
She chuckles and looks away for a moment before replying.
"I guess you're right, Genji. We don't get to share this sort of company very often. Even just talking would be nice."
I nod.
"It would."
Dr. Ziegler smiles. After a moment, she begins to stroke a thumb over my hand. There is silence as the doctor continues to do this for a while, slowly and gently caressing the metallic surface. As she does this, she gradually moves to my lower arm, where she softly strokes the synthetic muscle. I take a few moments to savour the feeling before speaking up.
"How has your work been lately? I feel like I don't ask you about yourself very often, even though you must do it for patients all the time."
The blonde doctor seems surprised by my question, but she gladly replies.
"It's been more or less the same as usual," she answers. "Nothing too special. No major illnesses or injuries from missions, thank goodness. Just the usual small scrapes."
"That's good," I reply.
Still running her fingers over my arm, Dr. Ziegler addresses me once more.
"Does that feel nice?"
I close my eyes for a moment before replying.
"It does. Everything you do for me feels good."
The doctor laughs softly.
"That means I'm doing my job right," she jokes. She looks into my eyes for a moment, before the movement of her hands stops.
"You won't be leaving here until the morning," Dr. Ziegler says to me. "So you can just relax."
I smile.
"That wouldn't be hard. Not with you here."
The doctor sighs pleasantly.
"Thank you, Genji."
We stay looking into each other's eyes for a few moments, both of us still smiling, until Dr. Ziegler moves slightly closer to me. She places a soft hand against my cheek and gently traces the side of my face. As she does this again, I close my eyes in contentment.
"Just relax," I hear the doctor's voice say quietly. I re-open my eyes as the gentle, caressing motion continues, and I watch Dr. Ziegler's face as she strokes the skin. Her face displays an expression of genuine warmth and affection.
I give a relaxed, contented sigh.
The way you're doing this, I could stay here forever.
The kind doctor continues stroking my face for a while, before her hand moves upwards into my hair. Her gentle fingers weave themselves between the short dark strands, softly working their way through. As Dr. Ziegler's caring hand moves through my hair once more, I relax even further. I close my eyes and smile.
"That feels really good," I purr.
I hear the doctor gently laugh.
"You said that to me last time as well," she says softly, still with a tone of amusement in her voice, as she continues stroking my hair and scalp. "I must have found your weak spot."
This time, I laugh.
"Maybe."
My eyes still closed, I continue to relax at the soothing sensation of Dr. Ziegler's fingers in my hair. In this moment, nothing else matters except the gentle touch of my beloved doctor and her presence beside me.
If she keeps doing this for long enough, I might just fall asleep again.
That thought doesn't seem too bad though.
Evidently picking up on the effect her touch is having on me, Dr. Ziegler sighs gently.
"You're falling asleep."
Slowly, I reopen my eyes and see a look of affection on the doctor's face. I smile.
"It's hard not to when I'm so relaxed."
Dr. Ziegler laughs softly, and continues running her fingers through my hair.
"Well, it's not a problem if you want to sleep again. As I said before, you're not in a rush to get out of here."
There is a moment of silence between us before the Swiss doctor speaks again.
"I do have other work to attend to, but I can stay with you until you fall asleep. There's still some water on the bedside stand if you wake up, but you shouldn't need anything else for now. I'll check up on you again later in case you need anything then."
By now, the stroking, caressing motion of Dr. Ziegler's hand really is starting to make me feel sleepy. I close my eyes.
"Thank you for everything, Angela."
Even though my eyes are closed, I can picture the kind doctor's smile as she replies.
"You're welcome as always, Genji."
A few more minutes pass by in silence. As my breathing begins to fall into a deep, regular pattern and my body grows heavy, the only thing that registers in my mind is Dr. Ziegler.
What did I do to deserve you, Angela...?
I love you.
Just as I think this, before my subconscious takes over, I feel the movement of the doctor's fingers through my hair cease. Then, a moment later, I feel it.
A short, tender kiss against my forehead, followed by a soft whisper.
"Sleep well."
Half-asleep, I'm not sure if I am imagining things. But the feeling leaves me warm inside all the same.
In my almost-asleep state, eyes still closed, I can just about hear Dr. Ziegler as she gets up. I hear her go to the counter at the other side of the bed, before her footsteps begin to move away. Half-opening my eyes, I watch as the doctor walks towards the door. As she leaves, I close my eyes again and smile.
I look forward to seeing you again soon.
As I finally drift off to sleep, my mind is filled with thoughts of nothing but my beloved Dr. Angela Ziegler.