Notes: Hey guys! First of all I would like to say thank you so much for all the support and interest I've seen from you wonderful people! I appreciate it so much. Secondly! *bows repeatedly in apology* I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I plan to update as quickly as possible but I got pretty busy for a while there, not to mention I fought a bit of writers block. As usual I hope you all enjoy!
A few mornings later, as Mercy was giving Genji a routine check up, a light knock on the door interrupted her work. Looking up in what he could only describe as a slightly irritated confusion, she muttered something he assumed was some form of a German swear before walking over to the door to answer it. As she opened the door Genji hid his face, attempting to keep away from direct view of the unannounced visitor.
Looking away, Genji could hear Mercy and a man with an American accent sharing a muffled conversation. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he looked up and saw Mercy standing in the partially closed doorway with her arms crossed, blocking his sight of the man she was talking to in a hushed, slightly irritated voice.
After watching her for a few moments he could barely make out her frustrated answer to the man of, "I assure you that he is in good health and will be discharged shortly. Your business will have to wait until then. Now if you will please excuse me, I have work to do." With that, Mercy swiftly closed the door in the man's face and let out a small huff.
Not wanting to further upset the doctor, Genji watched in silence as Mercy gave herself a moment to take a breath and plaster on her usual work smile before walking back towards the desk where her clipboard and medical notes lay.
Flipping through his file, she spoke to him with a forced elated tone, "Well at this rate, I can assure you that everything is progressing quite nicely. There are some minor repairs and plenty of adjustments to be made to your body once you are discharged, but for now, we will wait until your flesh wounds are completely healed. Which should actually be in just a couple of days!"
As she looked up from her notes and turned to face Genji, she was mildly taken aback to see he looked less than enthusiastic at the news. After the past few days together, Genji had seemed to be pleased with his healing progress and had even graced her with a genuine smile a few times. The fact that he suddenly seemed so… uncomfortable with the idea left Mercy quite concerned.
After several long moments of awkward silence, Genji sighed and looked up at her, "That is wonderful news Doctor Ziegler, but with all due respect. While I appreciate that you have avoided the topic for quite some time now, I know that this second life is not something that comes for free. I am in great debt to you people. That man just now... What is it he wants from me in return for all this?"
"Ah, so that's what this is about…" Mercy slowly walked towards Genji and sat down in the chair by his bedside. Giving a small, dismal smile, she placed her hands in her lap, "While I would like to say that you are wrong, I do know that it is not unreasonable to assume that." Staring down at her hands, she continued,
"While Overwatch will by no means hold your life over your head like a bargaining chip, it would not surprise me if they had plans on asking you for information or something of the sort. Considering your origins.…"
Genji watched her as she trailed off into silence. He was about to speak to her when she suddenly looked up at him with a spark of determination.
"But please rest assured Mr. Shimada. I will absolutely not let them bother you in any way. Your life and your care have no connection to their business as long as you are my patient. I will make absolute sure of it."
Taken aback momentarily by her sudden declaration, Genji just stared at her for a moment. He honestly hadn't expected anything of the sorts from her, but the fact that the doctor was so willingly prepared to defend him against her peers brought him a small sense of warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time. With her words giving him much needed reassurance he smiled,
"Thank you very much Doctor Ziegler. I am very grateful to have your support. Please rest assured that whatever is asked of me, I will provide within my own free will. My family betrayed me... I no longer hold any loyalties to them and it should not matter anyways, for they think I am dead. My duty now, is to repay those who have given me this second chance. You most of all."
Eyes wide in surprise, Mercy opened her mouth to reply but before she could, Genji put his hand up and continued, "That being said, while it is a bit poorly timed, considering how much you have already done for me, I was hoping to make a request... I'm assuming that the man from earlier will be coming back soon, correct? Well before that happens, I was wondering if you could make me something to cover my face... I'm not… at a place right now where I can show myself to others... Not now. Not like this…"
As her bright determination dimmed into a solemn understanding, Mercy looked out the window and spoke softly,
"I understand. It is most certainly something that would take time for you to adjust to. I will go and make you something right away. It should not take very long considering I have already begun to work on preparations regarding enhancements for your body."
Standing up quickly, Mercy gave him a soft half smile and began to walk towards the door, "I will be back as soon as I can. Please try to get some rest until then."
As the door quietly clicked shut behind her, Genji sighed and leaned back. Running his hand gently across his face, he let his eyes slip closed. He felt guilty for asking more of the doctor who had already done so much for him, but in his current state he couldn't help it. How could he let anyone else see what he was too afraid to look at himself?
With a mind full of doubt and conflicting emotions, Genji let himself slip into an empty, uncomfortable slumber.
…..
When Genji woke up, he noticed that the bright morning light outside his window had changed to a crimson glow from the lowering sunset in the far distance. While his room was currently unoccupied other than himself, it had definitely been recently visited. Besides his bed was a glass of water and a metal plated mask with a green visor.
Reaching for the mask, he observed the small notches on the back that looked as if they were meant to connect to something on either side of his head. With one hand holding the mask, the other lifted to find a small knob by his temple, roughly the same size as the notches on the mask."Had the doctor already predicted he would ask for this?"
As he placed the mask on his face with a small click, a knock on the door suddenly rang through the small room. While he found the timing to be a bit surprising, he already knew that this had been coming.
Raising his voice loud enough to be heard through the door he called out, "Go ahead and come in."
After a short moment, the door opened to reveal a tall blonde man in a blue uniform. As the man walked in, Genji observed the several Overwatch logos that decorated his American style uniform and the small "Commander" title on the man's chest.
Sitting down by his side, the man reached a hand out to Genji. After a moment of hesitation, he returned the gesture and reached out, both of them shaking each other's hand. Seemingly pleased by this, the man leaned back and began to speak,
"It's nice to finally meet you. My name is Jack Morrison, Commander of Overwatch. A couple of my men were out on a minor side mission when they found you in Hanamura. Brought you to me nearly half dead shortly after." Pausing for a moment, he crossed his arms in a relaxed manner before continuing,
"Gotta say, it's good to see you alive. Never doubted the Doc for a second, but you were definitely cutting it close for a while there."
Wanting to get straight to business, Genji sat up and looked directly at the Commander, "Sir, I am very grateful for what you people have done for me. I completely understand that this second life you have given me does not come for free. Whatever... information it is you want from me regarding my clan in return, I will do my best to provide."
After watching each other for a moment in silence, Jack gave a loose chuckle and uncrossed his arms. Taken aback with with the sudden change in formality, Genji watched as the Commander looked up at him with a sudden amused light in his eyes,
"Well, I'd be lying if I said that wouldn't help us greatly. But no. That's not actually why I'm here. Although you did just prove that we can trust you when it comes to where your loyalties lie."
Standing up and looking at the completely caught off-guard Genji, Jack smiled, "The real reason I'm here is simple. You said it yourself, this is your second life. What you do with it is up to you and I'm here to make you an offer."
Genji watched in silent surprise as Jack reached out his hand once again, this time with an offer, "Well kid, how about it. What do you say to joining us and becoming an agent of Overwatch?"
More Notes: Thanks again so much for everything! As usual, all suggestions, comments, and favs are greatly appreciated. See you all in the next chapter!
