It's 4 in the morning again kek. I want to post something but I'm about to mentally crash, so I can't be bothered to read through it until tomorrow. Any small grammar stuff will be fixed as soon as I'm conscious enough to do it.
Update: JK I'm OCD and I couldn't sleep until it was all fixed. So now it should be good ;D
Days turned into weeks as Mercy and Winston worked together creating new a body for Genji. Within a few days Angela had a design she was happy with, but it took an extra week for the two of them to actually create that design. Angela was actually quite proud of what she had accomplished; it was definitely a feat of modern engineering and medical research beyond anything they had imagined creating at the start of the project. They had made a completely metal bodysuit for Genji from an alloy that would allow him to move fluidly while still providing a protective shell around him. It also had nerve endings that she was particularly happy with; they weren't as sensitive as human touch, but it was an accomplishment that they existed at all. She hadn't been sure exactly what she wanted to achieve regarding his sense of touch, if anything, so it amazed her that the outcome was that good.
What Angela wasn't happy with was the modifications that Winston might have been making to the suit. Even though she could tell he was trying to hide it from her, the diagrams lazily left out on his work table were more than enough to figure out what he was doing. Plans for shuriken, an attachable sheath, and programming that would allow for better fighting responses were just a few of the designs she happened to chance a glimpse of, and it made her furious. Winston knew that it was not her desire to work to make weapons, especially not when a human was being turned into a weapon- she had vehemently shot down the offer to work on creating super soldiers. She'd be livid with Winston if he actually put those designs into the suit without consulting her first. Hopefully it was just an idea of his, not something he put into practice.
But despite all her doubts about Winston, there was no denying that the creation was an intense labor of love for the two of them. It was immeasurably fun to create something so complex and, in her opinion, beautiful. Not to mention that Genji was perking up considerably as days went by. He was an interesting person, the more she got to know and understand him. He had a habit of making a joke at every opportunity possible, which meant plenty of inappropriate times. It seemed almost like he made a habit of trying to get under her skin, and every once in a while it actually worked. But despite the fact that he could annoy the crap out of her at times, she could tell that he truly cared about them and appreciated what they were doing for him. Overall, despite some annoying tendencies, she decided that Genji Shimada was a sweet and lovable person, almost reminding her of a stereotype she had heard concerning younger brothers.
Since she was making the suit to help someone she actually liked, the process was even more rewarding for her. And absolutely nothing was more rewarding than the moment when she got to announce to Genji that they were almost ready to hook him up to the suit.
"Thank God!" he exclaimed through a happy laugh. "I honestly can't wait to actually move out of this damn bed, you have no idea. And I'm so excited to finally stop being so sore all the time; it's obnoxious!"
Angela chuckled at his enthusiasm. "I can't promise that the soreness will go away immediately, though it won't be from your wounds this time. You haven't used your muscles in a while, and it will take them at least a few days to adjust to the extra weight along with the assistance of the suit. But yes, by the end of tomorrow you should be walking around, practically good as new."
"Thanks again, Doctor Ziegler. I owe you so much more than just my life; you're giving me a future as well."
Mercy sighed loudly, shaking her head. "Genji, really, just call me Angela. Also, don't thank me until we've actually done the procedure successfully."
"Fine, after the procedure I get to thank you as much as I want, Dr. Ziegler," he replied with a cocky smirk.
"That's not what I meant and you know it… hey, you called me Dr. Ziegler again!" Mercy fumed in realization, causing Genji to crack up with laughter. God, she really was fun to mess with.
Doctor Angela Ziegler stood over the form of a newly created body, this time with Genji actually inside of it. Clipboard in hand, she flipped through the pages of notes and readings clipped onto it before, "…Winston?"
The gorilla loped over from the machine he was examining to stand next to Mercy's side. "Yes?"
"What in the name of all that is holy is this!" She hissed accusingly, pointing at a piece of paper that had been hidden at the bottom of the stack. Words like shuriken, katana, and sheath stared at the gorilla accusingly in black font, accompanied by numbers that appeared to be tests confirming the working order of said parts. "And, pray tell, why does it seem that you have added these parts to my patient without my knowledge or consent?"
Winston pushed his glasses up onto his face and let out an annoyed sigh, as if bracing himself to scold an ignorant child. This, if anything, just made the doctor angrier. 'He'd better have a REAL good excuse for this,' she thought unhappily, contemplating exactly how difficult it would be to quit the organization without subsequently dooming hundreds of patients. "I'm sorry Doctor Ziegler, but I was on orders higher than your own. Telling you would have only upset you or made you not want to continue with the procedure, and Genji deserved better than that."
"He also deserved better than to be turned into a goddamn living weapon," she muttered under her breath, glancing back at the bed where Genji was now sleeping peacefully, completely encased in a suit of silver and green. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn it, just go ahead and tell Morrison that he'd better be ready for the absolute hell I'm going to put him through the next time that I see him, and that he deserves every second of it. Better yet, tell him to ship his ass to Japan so he can get it over with quickly, and he'd better not try to fight back or I might just quit. I don't care that he's my boss; my one request was that my work not be turned into weaponry, and that's exactly what has happened. I hope you're happy with what you've done, Winston."
Winston looked sheepishly at the ground. If gorillas could blush from embarrassment, Angela was absolutely sure that he would have at that very moment. Despite the mature appearance Winston tried to maintain, the doctor was a whole eight years his senior; every time she got upset with him, it felt like a much older sister chastising their sibling for breaking something important. Most of the time there wasn't much for Angela to be upset about; the two had a mutual respect and friendship formed from being two of the brightest scientific minds the world had to offer. However, there were times when Winston would cross a boundary, and the doctor would make him immensely guilty for it; even so, never before had Angela seemed this upset.
A long sigh escaped the doctor after a few awkward seconds of the gorilla avoiding her eye contact, "Go on, go talk to Morrison. I'll finish up the tests and be here for when Genji wakes up. But I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what Morrison's motive is for this, if nothing else."
Winston was halfway to the door by the time she was done speaking, seemingly reluctant to stay in the doctor's vicinity for any longer than absolutely necessary and having to pause to actually give her a response. "He wants to use Genji to help with the Shimada problem in Japan. That's all I know. But you know who Jack is likely going to send to accompany Genji for assistance, right?" He called over his shoulder, waiting for her permission to completely leave.
"Yes, I can figure that part out myself. Now go on, please. I need some time to think." Winston gladly took his leave, closing the door tightly behind himself as he did so.
Angela stood in place for a moment, silent, before her emotions got the best of her. She crumpled to the ground, eyes brimming with tears. God, what had she done? One of her greatest scientific achievements thus far had been turned into some kind of cruel joke. She had even seen those damn blueprints that Winston was drawing! Why had she not done something to stop this? And how could Jack- no, he was definitely Morrison right now- how could he even consider doing something like this to her? He had to know fully well exactly how much she would hate this, so why? Surely it had something to do with the idea that Genji now had a serious debt to Overwatch, but was not she, his doctor and rescuer, more qualified to say exactly what he did and did not owe?
She started bawling as she remembered Genji. Not only had she unwittingly turned a human being into a living weapon, but she had done it to someone she had learned to care about. He was as close to a genuine friend as she let people get, in this world where almost anyone at Overwatch could die on the next mission. The only people closer to her were her family- Ana, Jack, Gabe, and Fareeha. Her knees found themselves pressed tightly against her chest as she buried her face in her arms, crying loudly enough that she was sure the people in the hallway could hear it. Why? She had thought she'd finally be safe enough to be friends with someone, since they'd never be in danger or on a mission. But of course this would happen to her. Of course it would. And now she'd be stuck in Japan for however long it took to complete whatever arbitrary debt Morrison had tallied for her patient, because she was most certainly going to be his partner in the field. Not only would that be Morrison's wishes, but she felt a sense of duty to keep Genji safe, especially since the fact that he would be in danger was entirely her fault.
The words: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," were repeated over and over again, hiccups interrupting every other word. It wasn't as if anyone could hear her apology though. Winston had probably warned every person in the building to avoid her room like the plague, and Genji wasn't supposed to wake up for another few hours. She was alone, just like always. Alone with her heartache, alone with her pacifistic philosophies, and alone with her guilt. God, there was so much guilt. It swelled and festered and-
"Angela?" A quiet, slightly mechanical voice managed to cut through the loud sobbing. "Angela, are you okay? What's going on, has something happened?"
Ever so slowly, a blonde head lifted up from the arms in which it had been buried. 'Surely not, he wasn't supposed to wake up for another hour or two, I must be imagining-'
"I know for a fact that you're going to be completely pissed at me if I stand up so soon after waking up, but I'll do it if you don't respond. I'm not going to lay down and listen to you cry." No, that was definitely the same snarky voice she had gotten used to over the past couple of weeks. Even with the slight metallic rasp, it was most definitely Genji.
Angela sighed and swiped the sleeve of her coat over her eyes. "I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me." Even to her own ears the lie was painfully obvious. She was still crying slightly and her voice was cracked and raw. She wasn't surprised at all when Genji scoffed.
"I hope you don't expect me to believe you, because if you thought I'd believe you then you would have to think I was extremely stupid," there was a short pause, as if Genji was thinking carefully about what to say next. "You know, you can talk to me about it if you need to. Even if it has something to do with me. I know I'm probably not the first person who you would want to comfort you, but I am here. So if it would help, go ahead, I'm all mechanical ears."
"I'd like to talk about it. Just give me a minute." Genji nodded, and Angela spent that minute dragging her desk chair next to Genji's hospital bed, falling into it clumsily. She stared at the hands sitting in her lap for a moment before clenching her eyes shut and concentrating, unsure of where to begin. "I guess I want to start by apologizing. I'm so very sorry. I really am, Genji."
She was surprised by the feeling of slightly cool metal wrapping around one of her hands. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Genji had taken her hand and was now stroking the back of it with his thumb. It was something that she always did unconsciously to her patients whenever trying to ease their pain or comfort them. Her mother had done it to her all the time when she was a child, and she found that often times it helped relieve the hurt someone might be feeling. There was no doubt in her mind that she had done the same thing to Genji at least a dozen times during his stay. The gesture meant the world to her; it was his wordless way of forgiving her in advance for anything that she might say.
She had almost cracked a smile before she saw the three long, vertical slits on the hand holding hers, undoubtedly where shuriken came out of. She scowled once again before sighing and shaking her head. There was no use pouting over what had already been done; now was just the time to come clean about it to Genji so that he knew what had happened and would be happening to him.
With that in mind she began, explaining everything that had happened, and how most of it had been done under her nose without her consent (notably spending an undue amount of time explaining in gruesome detail how she was going to beat the ever living crap out of Jack Morrison), ruining one of the most incredible things she had ever achieved in the blink of an eye. She explained that she was a pacifist, only working with Overwatch to save as many lives as she could, and that something that she had put so much care into had been weaponized without her knowledge stung like hell. And finally, she explained how guilty she was that Genji was now expected to do so much for Overwatch, and how disgusted she was at the fact that Morrison considered him to be in Overwatch's debt. The entire time Genji listened quietly, not saying a word until she was completely done.
"You know, it isn't unreasonable for them to want something from me," he finally admitted quietly. "I've taken two weeks of work from their two best minds away from them, along with whatever sum of money this suit must have cost. And, honestly, I think I'd enjoy the chance to take down the Shimada clan. A Shimada can cause nothing but trouble and heartache, and they deserve retribution for doing what they did to me. Surely you have to see that; if my older brother, probably the most reasonable one out of all of us, was willing to kill me just to maintain order, what would the rest of the clan do to everyone else? There isn't anything for you to be guilty for, in my opinion, and certainly nothing for you to apologize for. After all, you kept me from dying and gave me a second chance at a new life. That's nothing to be ashamed of, and I want to thank you for everything you have done, not blame you."
There was a long pause after Genji finished speaking. Angela spent a good minute looking from their joined hands the Genji's mask, almost as if trying to decide if what was happening was real, and if the words he had said were true. Genji had no doubt that everything he had said was the absolute truth; he felt no resentment towards the woman that had saved him, nor towards the organization that he was indebted to. If anything, he was glad that he could help. He wanted to repay his debts, as much as Angela insisted that they didn't exist. If he got to take down his brother and clan as a part of the deal, then that was more than he could ever have wished for. There was more than a little bit of resentment in the cyborg's heart for the family that had so completely and utterly betrayed him.
After a few minutes, it seemed that Angela was at least somewhat satisfied with what he had said. She slowly nodded, letting go of Genji's hand and standing up, moving her chair back to her desk as she did so. "I guess there's no use arguing over it now. I think now is the time to show you how to get around in that new body of yours, huh?"
Genji smiled widely behind his mask. "Now that sounds like a great idea."