Author's Notes: Ayo. The last short was very, short, erm, now this one is exactly the opposite. Honestly, I could make a novel out of this one if I really, really, wanted to. Since the last time I updated, as far as the game goes, "Winter Wonderland" has been replaced by the fabulous year of the rooster. Capture the flag is either very fun, or very, very frustrating. Im in a good mood, see, I killed a Bastion as Genji. DEFLECTION SKILLZ. I am only proud about it because well, the enemy usually waits out the duration of Genji's blocking. That's why he says "I need healing." He's impulsive. Anyway, this one isn't even about Genji or a support. Its the positive, adorable, (((gay!))) Tracer. This has no directness to any of those things though. Because my babies must suffer. I live for angst. I cry when someone calls a dog stupid.(how dare you if you've done so) I'm blabbing, look at me. Thanks for reading, you're my friend now! Disclaimer: No. I do not have any money. I can't own anything.
4: Tracer
"Aw, rubbish!" Hearing Tracer's chirpy voice becoming angry out of the blue was hardly common.
Mei was ashamed of her quiet voice when she answered with a,"What?"
Tracer didn't respond with her voice, but rather banged frustrated, at the device on her chest that was audibly humming. Being a scientist, Mei couldn't help but analyze the orb of blue and the clasp of metal on her team mate's breasts. Mei had already been uncomfortable, but now she felt like she should take off her coat or else she'd turn red. Instead, she nervously smoothed the soft fabric out. Tracer had huffed and picked up her phone, typing quickly onto the screen. After a couple times of shifting her legs awkwardly, Tracer dropped her phone on her other side of the bench and broke the short silence. She obviously did not feel awkward or shy in the slightest. She never was. Mei took it into consideration that she probably never had experienced such things in her short life so far.
"I hate to bother Winston like that. He's gonna get all panicky and crap. But I don't know if something is wrong or not. You think that with sweet omnics now a days, that a crappy little do-hicky would do the trick always."
She was resting her hands on her face slouched over, with her elbows on her knees now. When Mei didn't respond right away, her pissed glance looked her in the eye.
With a jolt of anxiety, the other girl stumbled, "there-there… is something wrong with, she didn't actually know it's name, so she pointed at the device's general direction, that?"
"Perhaps."
The korean had never seen this side of the brit, and she had no idea how to interpret her out of character stigma. So she just nodded, and Tracer went and took a glance at her phone, but no messages had come yet. Something in the air changed negatively as she adjusted her goggles and her fingers rolled into fists.
The two stayed quiet for a couple moments, Tracer anxiously still waiting for a response and Mei busying herself with Snowball to spare some of her discomfort. Mei in the least, felt like a bother. They were on waiting for the next mission now, and they were called to work together with Junkrat. Where and, what he was doing, she didn't really want to know. Tracer of course, was usually very friendly to her, and she was kind in response. They did not click at all, though, and Mei was disheartened by it, because such seemed to happen with most people to her. The only common topic they shared was that of science, because, well, Tracer knew Winston obviously. Honestly, the two brunettes were just not close in the slightest.
As she snuck looks at Tracer playing with the strands of her short, sorda spiky, hair, she came to a realization.
"Um, she started, maybe I could take a look at it?"
The brit dropped her hands and breathed out deeply, stretching slightly. "Uh, I'm not so sure about that, love. Winston is da one who made it and all, and I think, um, Mercy will be coming around later."
"Oh...okay."
Silence came once again and Tracer was getting noticeably fidgety.
When Mei looked at her young face, her gaze was far off. The hero inside of Mei couldn't help but ask pathetically, "Are you alright?"
The other hesitated but replied, "Yeah." Her face and body told different, though. The tech on chest hummed louder now, too.
Tracer fiddled with the buttons she was familiar with on the sides, but nothing decreased the noise that was starting to sound even more like a struggling 20th century laptop.
Suddenly, the younger one shot up from the bench and began to pace, with one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead, "Oi, Oi!" she complained.
Mei took a deep inhale, still glued to her own seat, and asked, referring to the angry device, "Why don't you just take it off, then?"
The brit stopped pacing immediately and looked at Mei like she had grown three heads. A flicker of fear washed against the same face soon after. She looked down onto her chest, where the blue light was getting dim. Her hands balled into fists, and Mei couldn't find why she was getting so worked up like this. Honestly, she nor half of the Overwatch crew knew the real significance behind the device she always wore. It was just a amazing battle weapon, helping her zip across the field and even restore health. So, Mei took it as the wrong idea of, if she didn't have it working properly, she couldn't fight, and she really liked to fight. Their mission coming up was not a battle, and even if they did get in trouble, she still had her pistols and agility. So, the scientist didn't understand, and she was not a good sociable person to start.
While the korean was contemplating, Tracer had sat back down across the hallway with her head down. She was gripping the sides of her infamous jacket as a bad feeling crept along the silent room.
Oddly, a blue mist faintly came out of the device's heart, and it covered the air around the upset girl. Mei tilted her head curiously, waiting for Tracer to say something about it. Unfortunately, she didn't notice until she picked her head up.
In a rush of gasping and widened brown eyes, Tracer had quickly run up to Mei, and grabbed either side of a coat. Mei widened her eyes in surprise as she searched the others panicked features. It was contagious, for a knife of fear and concern stabbed into Mei's chest.
Before she could finish wrapping it around her head, Tracer had already started talking, and as her voice ran, the blue stayed the same, but something about her body was changing.
The very hands she was grabbing her with, connected to her slim arms, to her shoulders up to her head and down the her feet, seemed to be transforming to the same faintness of the blue light that continued to expand.
"- a scientist.. You're a scientist! I-I take it back! Is there anything you can...do? It's an accelerator, if-that helps. Hello?!"
Mei blinked and stumbled over a response, trying to get her anxious brain to activate science mode by analyzing all she was seeing and hearing. She hated being under pressure! Why couldn't Winston just answer Tracer's phone or something. Her scrambling thoughts soon halted though, as Tracer let go of her coat, frustrated and hyperventilating. As her body seemed to actually flicker like a lightbulb that was slowly going out, Tracer's face became pale and full of fear.
In a surge, Mei finally stood up and grabbed the smaller girl's shoulders. One more look at her face, and she knew she wasn't going to hear her talk anymore for once. Tracer stood in place for her as Mei lowered her hands to the accelerator. It was still making noise and everything, so with what she knew about standard accelerators, she pushed safe buttons to see if that would do anything. When it didn't, she looked close to see if anything on there had some kind of label. Nothing. She had knew all along that Winston created this thing and admired him for all of his inventions, but what scientist does not label things?! Mei continued searching and the glance of Tracer's still scared, but hopeful now, expression was sending the korean into panic mode.
Just as she was about to feel like screaming, the phone on the bench rang. A little bit of relief took over Tracer's fear. Mei snatched the phone and said too loudly, "Hello?!"
"Where's Tracer?" She never thought she'd be so relieved to hear the deep booming voice of a gorilla in all her life.
Tracer stole the phone and had decided to answer herself, "Buddy! Finally! There-"
Two sounds of clanks quited all the excitement immediately.
On the floor Winston still called into the cell, repeating, "Hello?!"
Mei didn't know if she had frozen herself or was just stunned. Not only had Tracer disappeared whilst leaving the now silent accelerator on the floor, but the presence of her bubbly, warm aurora had vanished, like a candle that had been blown out by a sudden gust of wind.
*scene break*
Winston's lab seemed to have a similar story as hers did back at Ecopoint. Most everything was dusty, the lights were dim, and it was pretty empty. Even in the main heart of the lab, where his recent projects were, still hung a feeling like that of a memorial. He wasn't very organized, and several empty peanut butters jars rolled around when she didn't watch her step. He was quietly murmuring to himself as he started up his computer system, Athena, with his big hairy fingers surprisingly gentle on the keys. Then he pushed things reluctantly of a desk onto the concrete floor, and put the accelerator down in place of those scraps. He leaned back into a chair, sighing, and adjusted his glasses, a solemness in his features. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a notebook that was full to the brim. He opened it in the middle, where notes were scattered amidst both the pages.
Just as Mei was beginning to question what the hell she should of been doing with herself, a gentle hand rested on her shoulder.
"I'm here."
The blonde woman wore a small smile as a greeting.
Winston turned around in his seat saying, "Ok. I've found my notes here and luckily, I do have all the basic equipment. Like I'd sell the parts. We may not be supported anymore, but, I know better then that."
"Verstanden. I was just making sure before, Mercy replied, that would've made this a lot worse."
Winston's expression grew weary, as he replied,"It's already sort of bad."
Mei filled in the dots that they must of talked about whatever it was, earlier when Winston had called somebody. But she had a pretty good idea what "it" was. This was truly a strange, uncomfortable day for her. After Winston had came to their safe base to see what happened for himself, Mei just followed behind, and now here she was. She was still thinking it was okay, because after some babbling she heard between Junkrat(who finally showed up out of the blue) and the other much huger australian, she heard somehow they had gotten the permission to do the mission themselves. Honestly, that was not the plan and was not okay, and honestly, she prefered this awkwardness to being blown up. Besides, her brain kept going back to the look of hope on Tracer's face that had just been one of horror. It burned her how just when the hope came, she disappeared. The irony of things were sometimes unbelievable.
But all she was doing, was helplessly watching Mercy and Winston converse. She understood most of what they were talking about, but not the context behind it. She knew they were trying to solve what, or where, happened to Tracer. The korean, with her brain thinking more properly, analyzing like a scientist was suppose to, came to a possible theory. She realized, that with other scientists, in the same room, that they could help each other maybe. Either that, or she was completely off and they would think she'd never reach their level of science. But, curiosity and concern chewed more than insecurity this time.
"So um… did her accelerator just run low on power so it malfunctioned and transported her somewhere you haven't figured out yet?"
The older pair looked at Mei, Winston grunted, and Mercy gave her a grim smile.
Then, Winston responded, "uh, sort of."
Mercy rung her hands and brought them to her chest sighing, "To be frank, Winston is the one who made this thing, I just am here incase she...got hurt and to deliver some equipment. As for your question, there are many theories to where she could of gone, but she never really explains…"
Mei had the fresh images of Tracer, the go happy optimist, for once afraid and panicking obviously about a device only a while ago rattle in her mind... "This has happened before?"
"...Yeah, so I was gonna do what I did...last time. But, that was quite a while ago…,Winston murmured, When Overwatch was still highly functioning."
A sting burned her way through Mei's body as she asked, "So you're low on the materials you need?" She now accepted that this was more than just a dumb old crashing device.
"Mmmm" Was Winston's reply as he maneuvered over to the accelerator back on the table. He used some fancy screw drivers and pried it open and began trying to fix(find?) the problem. The device itself was completely lifeless.
Mercy then sat next to Mei and she pulled out some folders from her bag. The nurse was the only one she had seen out of the Overwatch gear, but even so, supporting a white lab coat right now, she was not casual. She opened a folder where inside where some of her own notes and documents, Mei didn't mean to probe, or at least be caught probing, but Mercy was probably one of the kindest of her few friends.
"I don't know how long this will take him, she eyed the Gorilla, so I might as well get some work done for some patients." She explained.
Mei nodded and decided to pull out and tweak on Snowball. It seemed like this day still had a long way to go.
(scene break)
The accelerator shone it's well known blue light and hummed quietly, almost as if content, on the table otherwise covered by tiny tools.
Winston stood back from it finally, with still a distraught look on his face. Beside Mei, Mercy stood up with anxiety radiating from her. Confusion sketched on Mei's mind that had finally managed to slow over the hour. What was wrong if it was back to normal? Winston hesitated before he pushed a button on the now healthy device. When he did, nothing she could see happened. The tension grew thicker in the room. Winston quickly typed away on the nearby keyboard then, and Athena responding by saying, "Request Initiated."
A few still and silent moments followed and all Mei could do was watch her team mate's worried faces.
Suddenly, there was a shift in the air that came with a sense of panic. A cool wind seemed to brush their hair as a very faint blue cloud began to appear across the room. Mercy ran to it, grabbing along her bag, and Winston followed behind with the accelerator. Mei squinted through her glasses, standing up now too.
She couldn't see much because of Winston's towering form, but on the other side of where Mercy crouched, she saw a arm in a infamous jacket squirming. A spark erupted inside the korean's chest and she soon found herself next to Mercy once again.
"Bitte, sh, bleibe, calm down." For a split second Mei made the mistake thinking that the nurse was saying that to her.
The nurse then pinned down the brit's arms that she was still trying to flail around, but Tracer struggled too strongly, and Mercy lost her grip and then rummaged threw her bag. Concern was set on the doctor's face as she pulled out a syringe and set it the side. Winston seemed to be preparing to take some action on the other side.
"Tracer, Mercy said under her breath, shh, it's okay."
The blonde then pinned her arms down again, harder this time, and she attempted to do the same with her similarly flailing legs. Mei watched without being able to turn away. Tracer's heaving chest looked strange without the device there. Her whole body was faint as it was earlier and surrounded by blue mist. Her eyes were squeezed shut under her goggles and she slowly started to get exhausted of struggling against Mercy's surprisingly strong bonds to the floor. The brit was very pale and sweat beaded near her brown brows as she randomly sputtered british words in vain.
Then somehow very gently, Winston had slipped his hand under her back and in a surge of quick movements and struggling, put the accelerator back where it belonged. Tracer didn't even seem to notice, she continued to struggle feverishly even as the device made her a clear solid human again in moments.
Mercy in this time had administered the syringe, un-preferably in her thin neck, because she couldn't get her damn arms still enough. When she probed her, Tracer's too quick breaths hitched for a fraction of a second.
Long minutes passed, and Mercy finally lessened her grip and let go of the girl's now still limbs. Tracer's eyes were still shut, but no longer tightly, as her breathing slowed down. Mercy properly disposed of the needle and in a single sad motion, Winston picked Tracer up off the dirty floor.
(scene break)
"Oi, that was bit wankers on my part, sorry loves."
She sheepishly smiled, almost convincingly, to the nurse hovering above her on a worn out coach.
"It's fine Tracer, and you will need to rest awhile. Nothing major, but be careful, bitte." She replied, pulling off the heart monitor on the other's thumb and examining its results again.
A few seats down Winston was on the phone with someone and talking in a hushed volume. Mei handed Mercy the cold stethoscope and she said, "Danke."
Mei flattened out the fabric of her coat, looking down. She didn't look up until Mercy announced something along the lines of saying that the poster child was stable and would be fine soon enough.
Tracer laid mostly still with her head propped up against the arm of the aging coach. She was still clammy and her unmasked face supported two curved purple curves under her eyes. She was wanting to keep them closed, to rest, but they twitched against her. You could tell her mind was lost in some different place entirely. The outlines of her young face was emotionless, but slowly fading horror still rested silently on it.
She gave up on peaceful resting and soon opened her hazel eyes. She drew out a long breath and put her bare hands on either side of the metal on her chest that supported the cursed blue. She looked to Winston and declared she owed him one. He replied with a breath of relief saying that she didn't. She didn't look to happy with that answer. Unexpectedly, she then made eye contact with Mei.
The girl let out a small chuckle before saying to her," I see you stuck around."
Mei felt her cheeks become hot, officially caught in her ways. She nodded slowly and for the hundredth time, questioned her presence. First off, the korean had seen a side of Tracer she probably should of never seen. Secondly, she didn't much help at all.
"I don't see how the event was appealing, love." She continued.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit was all that went across Mei's mind as her tummy did flips.
Mercy as if sensing the weirdness, asked, "Mei, I am done for now. I will drop you off at the base with meinem auto if you prefer?"
"Yeah, yeah okay." ,Mei stumbled.
The nurse then held out her hand to Tracer, which she took to help her sit up. As if on cue, Winston came over and handed her the phone. Who ever was on the line seemed very worried. Tracer greeted her calmly enough. The weak brit stood up shakily, denying Mercy's hand this time. But she ended up having to lean on Winston's arm anyway for support. Tracer continued to try and convince the girl on the phone that she was okay.
Mei awkwardly followed Mercy out of the lab to her car. It was night now, and the air seemed to finally relax. Mei didn't find relief though, because after a hug with Winston, Tracer slipt into the car door Mercy was holding open. When the nurse climbed into the driver's seat herself, Mei quickly sat in the back behind them both. The drive to the safe base was actually not long and before her mind caught up with her, Mei was getting out of the vehicle and leaving to the base. She was not in the mood to hear how the mission with Junkrat turned out.
Mercy rolled down Tracer's window and waved a farewell to Mei. Mei returned a shy wave, but when she turned around to depart, Tracer spoke.
"Erm...Mei, thanks. Sorry!"
"For what?"
If Mei wouldn't of barged in on Tracer's personal dilemma in the first place, she would of thought she was herself again as she grinned. But she caught the distress in her eyes.
She laughed how she was just this morning, and every other day, responding. "For finally someone pushing the payload."
Beside her, Mercy chuckled. She didn't realize she'd never seen the nurse laugh before. Mei shook her head at Tracer with a small smile of her own. As the car started to leave, Tracer stook her hand outside the window, holding up a peace sign, "Cheers, love!"
As they drove away then, Mei realized somehow the brit had gotten her gloves and goggles back on. She never thought that such an outgoing young woman could be so mysterious and strange.