Chapter 11: Weariness

7 months later...

Nothing but the blinding white of the world around me could be seen as I stood there. My trench coat was on, along with my gear. I looked down out of habit, my titanium limbs staring back at me like always.

I took a step forward, planting my foot on the ground, or lack there of as I felt the overwhelming sensation of unease. I felt like I was floating, with nothing below me to catch me if I were to fall. My footsteps echoed, and my unsteady breathing seemed a lot louder than usual. Frowning, I continued walking through the abyss as I wandered around aimlessly, stumbling into the light around me.

The sound of other footsteps startled me, and I soon realized they were becoming louder. I turned, and the silhouette of Genji was slowly approaching. "Genji! There you are!" I exclaimed, sounding a little more scared than I wanted to admit. He kept moving forward, before he was practically right in front of me. Genji made no note of me, and his head never turned, and his eyes never met mine. I stared in confusion placing a hand out to stop him as he walked into me.

I frowned in confusion as I felt him move right through me. I turned around to see him moving forward as if nothing happened. "Hey! Wait!" I attempted to run after him, but I was practically glued in place. I struggled against it, and Lena arrived right behind Genji. She walked forward in the same manner as Genji did, paying me no mind as she marched onwards. "Lena! What's going on?!" I demanded. For some reason, I felt so scared and helpless as they left me behind, walking past me. I was like a shadow to them.

"What the hell is going on?!" I cried out, watching as Jesse morphed right through me, as if I never existed. "Where are you all going?!" I asked, but once again my words fell upon deaf ears. Even with all my shouting, they never noticed me. Reinhardt was next, walking by me. "Hey! Wait up!"

Soon everyone in I'd gotten to know in Overwatch was marching past me, and I reached out for them. "No! Come back!" I felt my feet begin to run towards them without me telling them to. But no matter how hard I pushed myself, I was always slower, left behind by the others as they pursued the life in front of them. All of them had something outside of themselves that they were working towards. Their own vision. And I was left scrambling after them, struggling to scrounge up some reason for me to be fighting beside them.

"Don't go that way!" I begged. "Please!" I called out after them, reaching out. "Please! No! COME BACK!"

"Scott." I heard Olivia's voice come from behind me, and a shiver ran down my spine. I turned to find her, those dark blue eyes finding mine. She looked into my heart, into my deepest desires. "Olivia..." I trailed off, placing my hand on her cheek. To my surprise, I actually made contact, and could feel her smooth skin run along the titanium linings of my fingers and palm. Olivia almost seemed soothed by my touch, and for the moment I forgot about the world around me, and the others I cared for.

Just like always. She always drew me away from everything in the world. From every single one of my ambitions, my desires, my thoughts, my emotions. Everything I knew was replaced with her, and I soon found myself feeling much like a small child, struggling to understand the confusing world around me. With Olivia, nothing else mattered. All it takes is one moment for her to consume everything I've ever been, and ever will be. And for some reason, a part of me isn't bothered by that. I feel that maybe if I make her dream a reality that I will have fulfilled my duty and my own dream. A part of me feels like there is nothing else in the world out there that truly matters. A part of me believes that finding my dream is a pointless endeavor that will only end in pain and misery.

But I MUST go.

I felt Olivia place her own hand on mine, the warmth of her fingers somehow radiating through my body. My eyes widened in shock as for the first time in years, I felt like I had my hands again. I felt whole. I felt human.

"Olivia, where is everyone going?" I asked, and she shook her head. Those eyes pierced mine once more, and neither her face or eyes conveyed some form of emotion. She offered nothing more than a blank stare, her face vacant of expression.

"Only the weak get themselves killed in other people's battles. If you have nothing to fight for or give yourself to, and you lack the strength to find a reason in your life, then your life is forfeit."

I stopped in my tracks, and Olivia began to disappear in front of me. 'No. I have something outside of myself. I fight for a reason. I fight...' I told myself, but I lacked the strength to say it. And that was because I knew it wasn't true.

I was left in a stunned silence as the bright light surrounding me shattered, and I was engulfed in an agonizing darkness. Soon enough, I began to accept my own meaninglessness.

"COME BACK!" I awoke with a loud scream, and I listened to it as it echoed throughout my small room. I struggled to catch my breath, sitting up as I did so. My bed was completely drenched, and my body was sweating, my body glistening in the sunlight coming from behind my blinds. I exhaled, running a hand through my hair and standing up from the bed. I fumbled in around in the darkness of my room before finding the window and opening the blinds completely, allowing the sunlight to brighten the room.

Slowly steadying my breathing, I began to realize what time it was. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, it was around noon. "Scott, are you okay? Should I alert Dr. Ziegler?" I heard the synthesized voice of Winston's AI, Athena, radiate through my room. Shaking my head, I gathered my thoughts and emotions and pushed them to the back of my mind. 'I should wake up anyways. No doubt Olivia has something for me to do.' I thought to myself.

"No. I'm fine, just had a...a dream." I hesitated to tell the AI the truth, ashamed of how terrified I was. I was acting like a frightened child. "Understood. Logging you out." Athena left me to myself, and I sighed. 'What the hell was that about?' I asked myself as I slipped into some new clothes. I didn't bother with styling my hair, or trimming my beard, and I stumbled out of my room. Rubbing my eyes, I struggled to wake up. 'I thought I was past this. I didn't need to worry anymore. With Olivia's dream practically fulfilled, she didn't need soldiers anymore. I can be a friend, or maybe something more. Whatever she needs.'

'To become my friend, someone must pour their heart and soul into their dream, and never betray that dream. Even if it meant opposing me. For me to call a man my friend he must stand on an equal ground, and sustain a dream of his own.' Olivia's voice reminded me of why I kept telling myself to leave, of why she haunted my dreams every night. I need to find something to call my own. Even if it means leaving everything and everyone behind.

I rarely find myself alone, waiting for something to do. I usually end up training or talking with someone. Genji usually had a lot of free time. Jesse was pretty open as well. Lena was busy being an inspiration to the recruits around the base. She was a mascot of sorts, and her smile never failed to cheer someone up. The base was a lot more noisy nowadays, with recruits buzzing around from place to place. It was a lot easier to manage the base, but a lot harder to find some quiet. The agents around us were all a bit young and naive, but Olivia was relying on me to train most of them. The ones that stood out to me the most were two kids. Although legally adults, they weren't exactly mature enough for this kind of stuff. At least in my opinion.

Hana, a former MEKA pilot who served during the Omnic Crisis, as well as some pro gamer in some form of entertainment I never bothered with, was possibly the hardest part of my job nowadays. She was cocky despite her age, and lacked respect. Though she did say I looked like "a character from one anime", according to her observation. I suppose that was some form of compliment. Olivia claimed I was being too old fashioned and that I needed to loosen up.

Lucio, whom I like a lot more than the former, is a rebellious, yet kind young man who got his work done well enough. He was always listening to some music I myself hated, bumping his head to some foreign beat. Him and Hana got along well, and were inseparable. Lúcio started a bit of a rebellion a while ago with his music and fame, helping his local town free itself from it's Viskhar visitors. To him, he claimed gentrification was running rampant through the streets, and people lacked the funds to continue living there comfortably.

Neither of them belonged in the field of battle, despite their surprising skill in combat training. I guess it has something to do with their age. I just don't like the idea of them fighting alongside the others. They'll get someone, or themselves killed.

Shaking my head, I leaned against the railing in front of me, overlooking the site on the beach where Olivia and I dueled for my freedom. The way she looked at me that day still causes me to shudder each time I think of it. 'I belong to her now, don't I? How am I supposed to just leave?'

The waves crashed against the rocks below me as I smiled, feeling at ease despite my nightmare earlier. Things were looking up. Olivia was gaining more power, and her ties with Katya and others only grew stronger since the battle. I kept out of it, even though Katya attempted to congratulate me on many occasions for my victory against Akande. My blades shot out once more, this time even sharper than before, along with extra resistance to wear and tear. It would be practically impossible for them to be dulled. I added an extra inch to the length as well.

Olivia was even busier nowadays, what with her having to keep track of everything and keep supplies coming in to support us. Katya was lending her full support ever since Talon was defeated, and Talon lacked the manpower and resources to continue their efforts against us. Every once and a while we'd have to clean up some remaining stragglers from Talon, but it was never anything serious. The information in the Russian base exposed most of their locations to us, and we could destroy them with relative ease.

I met with Angela every once and a while to discuss our plans for the future as we maintained our positions in the ranks. Olivia lead us, but behind the scenes we helped keep everything from falling apart. At times we'd slip into unprofessional conversations about our feelings, or our days, or what was bothering us, and stuff like that. I rarely opened up entirely, but one time I did almost crack and tell her how I felt about all of this. 'No. I shouldn't have even told Lena. I can't let them know what I'll do. If they do, I don't think I'd be able to leave. I doubt I'd be able to look my friends in the face and leave them.'

As much as I tried to not think about it, my mind always wrapped itself back around that problem. With the end in sight, and our goals being achieved, I'd have to leave soon enough. I want to be an equal to Olivia, and to everyone else. I want to know what it feels like to fight for something other than survival. I need to find my own place in this world.

"Hey, Scott." I heard that same voice from my nightmare come from behind me again. I didn't turn, instead slightly tilting my head in her direction. Olivia stood a few feet a way from me, and despite the dark circles under her eyes, and the slightly ragged appearance, she looked great. Olivia's hair gently rested along her shoulder, the purple dye in her hair just as vibrant as ever. The shaved side of her head was slowly growing out, giving her an almost full head of hair. Her loose fitting shirt rested softly along her shoulder, revealing her collarbone and toned muscles. She must've just woken up like I did. Olivia rarely dressed up except for when she had to. I kind of liked that about her.

"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow, looking back into the horizon. Reinhardt was busy training some new agents. He towered over them all, dwarfing even the largest one in the group. "Are you alright?" She asked, and I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. No need to worry yourself about me." I answered quickly, and she frowned.

"Are you sure? Athena alerted me about how you woke up screaming this morning. You okay?" She asked, and I scowled for a few seconds.

'Of course she did. For an AI, Athena is surprisingly disobedient.' I thought, before meeting Olivia's gaze once again. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm quite certain we have bigger problems than my nightmares." I replied, watching as she chuckled and made her way beside me, resting against the railing like I did.

For a few moments, I stared at the ground, frowning. I often times, even more than usual, ended up lost in my train of thought. Olivia slightly nudged my shoulder, gaining my attention again. I met her eyes, and she frowned. "Do you want to talk about it?" I snickered, unable to imagine her genuinely wanting to hear about it, before she remained just as serious as before. I stopped, looking away from her.

'Only the weak get themselves killed in other people's battles. If you have nothing to fight for or give yourself to, and you lack the strength to find a reason in your life, then your life is forfeit.' Her words danced around my mind, thoughts and emotions rampaging through my skull like a herd of elephants. 'That dream is right. They're all going to leave me behind for better things. I don't have that fire to keep me going.'

"No." I said, but I could still feel her eyes on me. Eventually she conceded, offering me an assuring smile. "Okay. I won't pressure ya, Scottie." Olivia spoke softly, and I nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it, Olivia." I smiled, and she returned the same grin.

"So? Off to train Hana and Lúcio?" She grinned, and I shook my head, laughing. "Thankfully no. For now, I suppose I'll train just a little bit. Torbjörn said that my blades could use a bit more testing anyways." I answered, and Olivia smirked. "Ah, good. I was hoping you'd both get along with one another for at least a few moments. I suppose we'll have to break your blades more often."

"You can give it a try, if you'd like. We haven't had a duel since I first got here. I'd say I've improved." I smiled, extending my blade out again, watching it shimmer in the sunlight. A mischievous grin spread across her lips, and I looked down at her as she poked a finger into my chest.

"You certainly have. In many ways."

I made an audible gulp as soon as I processed what she said, and even what she was implying with her flirtatious tone, and I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "Oh. Yeah, I uh, um...yeah." I cleared my throat again, struggling to play off how nervous I was.

"Wow, you have a way with words. You've melted my cold, cold heart." She teased me, and I scratched the back of my neck, chuckling. "Yeah, you know me. I'm used to swinging my blades around rather than speaking. Never was my strong suit." I replied, and she giggled. "I think I recall Genji telling me about some one liner of yours. 'Never mind, I'll tell her myself.'" She mocked me, using a deeper voice to imitate me. I smiled. "Yeah, I've been getting shit for that one from Genji ever since."

I noticed how close we were to one another, as if with each sentence we spoke we were drawn closer to one another. But for once, I chose not to back away. Olivia looked up at me, and if not for the height difference, we'd be mere inches away from one another. Olivia grinned, and I felt my lips curving up in to a smile as well.

"Thanks. Thanks for... I don't know, everything." I said, and I instantly regretted it. It sounded a lot like a farewell to me. 'Damn it, control yourself!'

Luckily she didn't interpret it that way, and she smiled. "Don't mention it. You've always done the same for me." I felt her hand meet mine, and a sudden warmth began to flow through my body. Just like in the dream. It was as if I still had a hand. I found myself tracing my thumb across the back of her palm.

"Hey! You two love birds gonna kiss already?!" Genji yelled, and Olivia and I instantly backed away from each other in embarrassment. Olivia folded her arms, looking away in order to hide her blush. I placed one hand on my hip, scratching at my scalp in frustration. My eyes met the cyborg's as he laughed. 'I'll get you for that one.' I thought to myself.

"What's up?" I called out, failing to escape the awkward moment. "I was wondering if you'd want to train? It's been a while since we practiced." He explained, and I nodded in return. "Sounds good, I'll meet you there!" I replied, and he nodded, releasing a chuckle. "Yep!"

Olivia and I met each other's eyes again, and for once the woman seemed truly flustered. "Well, that just happened." She tried to find something clever to say, and I laughed. "Thanks for checking up on me. I'll catch you later."

"Yeah. Hopefully next time there won't be any interruptions." Olivia said, and I chuckled. "Don't get your hopes up." I teased, and she grinned. "Oh I won't. I'm ready for a disappointment." She laughed, and I shrugged. "You do have some pretty high standards."

I began to jog off to where Genji was in hopes of finding him, before hearing Olivia call out to me again. "I only settle for the best." She offered me a wink, and I denied myself the right to ask her what she meant by that. With how straightforward she can be she'd probably answer the question.

'Why the hell am I flirting with her? It can't happen. She'll never see past the augmentations. No matter how many times I repair them or upgrade them, they'll never be the same as flesh. I won't ever look the same. As much as I'd like to believe the opposite, I'm not entirely human. I'm a freak. Why would someone like her want anything to do with me in that way? My eyes and my limbs are a constant reminder of what I am. And what I wasn't.' I thought, struggling to shake my worries off as I hurried to find Genji. Maybe some training would help clear my mind.

But I knew that would never work. It never did. Olivia will always be in my mind.

'I don't want to just be her friend or her lover. I want to be her equal. An equal in every respect. Someone I would be proud to be. But to become that, I know I must leave. They'll despise me, I know it. But they'll never understand.'

'I won't be some aimless wanderer my whole life. I'll be like them. I'll find a purpose. Even if I must destroy the friendships I've fought so hard to create, or be branded a traitor, the fact still stands. I always came to the same conclusion I did in my nightmare. I must leave.'


Groaning, I released an exhausted sigh as I stepped through the hallways. I didn't bother offering the new recruits smiles or inspiring words. They shouldn't need it to get their job done. I never had someone praising me every time I moved a muscle. They shouldn't either.

That probably explained why they didn't seem to like me. It's not that they hate me, but I'm fairly certain I scare them half to death every time they see me. Some of them mumble amongst themselves, theorizing about why I have titanium limbs, and where all of my scars came from. I chuckled to myself, remembering the way Angela compared me to "one huge scar", as she put it.

I couldn't exactly blame her for the comparison. My upper body consisted of mostly scar tissue, and my face had scratches and cuts running along it as well. The one that looked like a claw going through my beard, which made it uneven, the other one that went horizontally across the bridge of my nose, along with the small scar that ran down from my lower lip to my chin. Jesse commented on them one day. I recall him saying I was getting a lot of attention from the female recruits. I hadn't noticed. I doubt they'd feel the same when they saw me take my shirt off.

The titanium in my body met at my collarbone, inserted deep into my bones and flesh, causing my skin to appear jagged at times. My skin could be rather cold, a side effect from all the metal inside me apparently. But, Olivia never seemed to mind. All those times she saw me without a shirt, or all the times her hand has met my skin, she never complained. And it truly baffled me. Is Olivia able to look past...everything? My dark history, my violent nature, my augmentations, my lack of purpose?

Shaking my head, I knocked on Angela's door, before entering like always.

I frowned when I noticed Angela was lying face down at her desk, head resting against her keyboard. Her monitor was still on, and she was asleep. "Angela?" I asked, hurrying over to her. "Hey. You okay?" I shook her, listening to her mumble something in her sleep. The woman's hair was a mess of blonde strands, and she had dark circles under her eyes like usual. Knowing Angela, she probably pulled an all nighter working on something.

"Angela!" I shook her more violently this time, and her eyes snapped open, and she sat right back up. "What?! Wh-what's happening?!" She asked, her eyes in a frenzy. I smiled at her, amused by how out of it she was. "Nothing's going on. I was coming to speak with you, but you clearly need to rest." I explained, and she frowned.

"Oh? No, no I'm quite alright Scott. You don't have to worry about me." I almost laughed. Angela was beginning to sound a lot like me. "Angela..." I warned, but she shook her head once more. "I assure you, I'll be fine."

"Look, why don't you take a break? I'm certain whatever you're working on can wait." I offered, and Angela coughed weakly. "No. This has to be done. I came across a new project Talon has been working on for months now at the Russian base. It infects omnics and people with augmentations or new prosthetics alike. Something about it causes people to go haywire, and even start attacking others. It's airborne, and produces no scent or look. It would be completely unavoidable if it was released." Angela said, scowling as she did so, as if she loathed the fact that something so despicable could even exist.

"Angela, Talon lost. We're beating them back bit by bit. They've almost completely disbanded, and with Olivia gathering more support from the others, we'll be able to completely crush Talon if they ever came back. Besides, you're clearly not in a well enough state to be trying to find a cure for some airborne virus. Throwing all your time and effort into one unobtainable goal is pointless. Trust me, I would know."

I looked down for a moment, reminiscing about how focused I was on killing Moira. Two years ago, nothing else mattered to me but killing her. But in the time I've spent with Overwatch, I realized how wrong I was. One day I will be able to kill her, but I simply wasn't strong enough back then. And I was fighting an army alone.

"Look, I appreciate you being here for me, but I've got to focus on this. Imagine if it got into the wrong hands? The deaths of millions would be on my hands. I cannot allow my weariness get in the way of saving lives. Don't you understand? When I became a doctor, I was well aware of what I was signing up for. I've given up a large part of my life to helping others. And I don't regret it. I can't allow this to go on. If I don't stop it, who will?" She asked me, and I shook my head.

"I don't know. But what I do know, is that you aren't going to find some cure for it by killing yourself over it. When you signed up, it never meant you have to throw your life away. You still have people here who're willing to help. You're not alone." I was beginning to realize what a hypocrite I was starting to sounding like. I was the one who constantly threw his life away recklessly, and even now I refuse to rest. But something about Angela made me want to save her from that life. She deserved better. In my heart, I know that what I've been doing is no way to live one's life.

"Which is exactly why I must keep working! If I stop now, something could happen to you, to Zenyatta, or Torbjörn, or even Genji! I can't give up!"

"I understand what you're saying," I began to raise my voice as much as she did. "But you can't do this. You need rest! This is going to get you killed. Just take a break!" I yelled, and she stood up, walking over to the other side of the room, retrieving some notebook with intense scribbles written on it. The doctor usually had very neat and legible handwriting, but with how exhausted she is, her hands must be shaking. 'Damnit, she's gonna get herself killed! And she has the gall to say I'm stubborn!'

"I must do this, Scott! What about that can you not understand?" She shouted, and I growled. "I understand, believe me, I do! But you need to sleep! We can't have you too tired to even stand. If someone gets hurt, we need you to help get them back into fighting shape!" I responded with a shout of my own. Angela sighed, as if understanding it for a moment. It seemed like a wave of exhaustion hit her as she leaned against her desk, and I noticed her legs begin to shake.

"Scott. This is who I am. I don't need your help. I've always worked by myself, and I've always been just fine without you. I'm not just one of your soldiers. I won't just fall in line." Her voice softened, but her brows remained furrowed, and despite how weary she was she still felt strong enough to defy me. That was what I liked about her. Angela always stood her ground, even against the likes of me.

"I can't give up. I can't. Now, I know I said I'll always welcome someone into my office with open arms," Angela began, wobbling slightly as she struggled to stand. I reached a hand out to steady her, but she ignored it. "But if you're just here to distract me from my work, I'd like for you to..." I could tell by the look in her eyes that the office was beginning to spin around her, and she was going to collapse.

"Angela?" I dashed over to her, catching her before she crashed to the floor. "Angela!" I shouted, trying to wake her up. She was unconscious, and her body must've realized she'd been running on empty for hours. 'God, you've got to be the most stubborn woman I've ever met. What the hell made her think she could create a vaccine without sleeping for a whole day?' I thought, muttering a few choice words to myself as I picked her up.

Although I wasn't familiar with the layout of her room, I soon found her bed. It was a mess, with the sheets hanging off the bed, along with some medical supplies strewn about the entire room, seemingly at random. It was as if she just threw them around her room without a care in the world. But I've known Angela long enough to know that no matter how cluttered it was, it was all organized to her in that fascinating mind of hers. I set her down gently on the bed, resting her head on the soft pillows beneath her.

I placed a hand on her forehead, and could read from the temperature spike running through my prosthetic hand that she had a fever of 101 degrees. I rolled my eyes, rather annoyed at how reckless she could be. Now I guess I know how she feels about me constantly rushing into a losing battle without a care in the world. I was beginning to develop a new understanding of why I pissed the doctor off so much.

"You know, for a brilliant doctor, you really don't take good care of yourself." I muttered to no one in particular, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders to keep her warm.

I contemplated leaving, but I soon decided against that. 'She'd probably get up and get right back to work within an hour.' I told myself, and I frowned, scratching at my chin. "I probably shouldn't worry the others. You'll probably never forgive me for letting you take a break, but I suppose a lot of people are gonna hate me soon enough." I said, thinking about my inevitable departure.

Sighing, I realized I had no choice but to make sure she stayed asleep and took care of herself. I pulled the seat from her desk into her bedroom and sat down in it. I folded my arms and crossed my legs, reclining back into the swivel chair. Shutting my eyes, I took a moment to rest. 'I don't suppose I'll get a thank you?' I thought to myself, and I smiled, looking at the Swiss doctor, and I could've sworn I saw a faint grin tug at the corner of her lips as she slept.

"You're welcome."


Angela's POV

The sunlight that peeked in through the blinds began to irritate me, and I rolled over onto my side, closing my eyes again.

My eyes snapped open when I realized that I couldn't recall ever going to bed. Hell, I could barely recall what happened the day before. I forced myself to sit up, looking at the window beside me, able to tell by the light that it was probably still early in the morning. Not early to me, but early enough to not fall behind on my work. 'Wait a minute...my work!' I thought to myself.

I began to rub my eyes in an attempt to wake up, struggling to get out of the sheets that wrapped around me. I felt so weak. So weak that I couldn't even escape the clutches of my own blankets. A sudden feeling of dizziness struck me, and I suppressed the urge to vomit.

Turning to my left, I shrieked in genuine terror as I noticed Scott sitting in a seat in the corner, his eyes locked on to me. That seemed to amuse him more as his smile widened, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Good morning to you too." He joked, as my heart still pounded in my chest.

His hair looked disheveled, and dark circles rested under his eyes. Scott looked like he hadn't slept in years. "Scott? What're you doing here?" I asked him, my voice cracking as I did so. I watched him as he stood up and retrieved a small glass of water and handed it to me. I gripped it firmly, but my hands still shook, and I could barely hold my head upright as I took a diligent sip of water. "You haven't gotten anything in your system in around two days. Take small sips. You're still not ready for a lot of food, and I don't know if your stomach can even handle the water right now either." He said, and I coughed, sitting up and planting my feet on the floor, and I soon realized how queasy I was feeling.

"What happened?" I muttered weakly, and he sighed, handing me a pill. "Take this." He ordered, ignoring the question for the moment. I didn't bother asking him what it was, popping the small pill into my mouth and taking a sip of water to help wash it down. "You're still running a fever from what I can tell, and you haven't recovered yet. You've been running on empty for far too long, Angela. This is why I told you to get some rest beforehand. Your body has been fighting off a sickness for days now." Scott spoke, and he seemed concerned for my wellbeing, at least for the moment.

"You collapsed yesterday from fatigue, and I took you in here so you could sleep. I've been watching over you for a day now. Don't try and get up yet, your body is still exhausted, and don't even think about getting back to work on that virus. I'm gonna check up on you every few hours for the next couple days. So don't do anything stupid." He said as bluntly as I could expect a man like Scott to.

'A day? He's been taking care of me that long?' I asked myself, but I didn't bother asking him again. "I've given you some medication to help you feel better, but you won't be doing much until you take some time to rest properly. The way I see it, I'm glad you collapsed. You'd have probably ended up killing yourself over this damn virus, and I don't think Genji would ever forgive me for that." Scott offered a faint chuckle, and I coughed once more, releasing a sigh.

"Scott?" I looked up at him. He frowned, turning to meet my gaze. "Hmm?" He replied, and I smiled weakly. "Thank you."

"You would've done the same for me." He grinned, and I turned away from him for a few seconds. 'A year ago, I probably wouldn't have.' I admitted to myself, thinking about how unfairly I treated him. Scott was taking care of me, even staying up all night to watch over me just in case. The man had a nurturing side to him that he rarely showed. A side I angrily presumed never existed.

"I got you some food, just in case. It's not much, but if I remember correctly, you always liked blueberry muffins. I got a few of those, and plenty of water." He continued, and I scowled, feeling guilt suddenly begin to rise up from the pit of my chest. 'What the hell is wrong with me? How could I have said those words to him? I called him every cruel name I could think of. And for what? A mistake? A mistake that he took full responsibility for, and still feels terrible about to this day?' My thoughts echoed in my head, and it was as if each word Scott said proved every single one of my assumptions about him wrong.

Scott was standing in the doorway, a concerned look in his eyes as he held the door to my bedroom open. "I'm glad you're okay, doc. I'll tell the others you'll be fine. Genji must be worried sick. If you need anything, water, something else to eat, blankets, anything, just let me know." That unique smile of his seemed to brighten the room. Something about his eyes, the way they constantly flicked from area to area, the white lenses zooming in and out as they analyzed everything, that ponderous expression on his face. My mind flashed to when I was yelling at him, those same eyes fixated on the ground in shame.

'You're wrong! I'm NOT like I used to be! I've changed! I do care about Overwatch, I do!' I could hear his voice in my head.

"Scott!" I called out to him as he shut the door. He opened it back up immediately, looking at me. I clenched my fists, and said three words I wasn't exactly used to saying.

"I was wrong." I admitted, looking down at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. I heard him snicker, stepping towards me. "That's a first." He joked, but I looked up at him. "No. I meant... I meant about what I said to you... after Genji was injured in that mission." I responded, and I noticed his jaw tense up as if he was going to speak, but then he stopped.

"I shouldn't have said that. It was cruel, unjustified, and just plain wrong. I'm sorry." I apologized, and I watched as Scott sat back down in the seat, sighing.

"You know, in the end, I'm glad you said those words. I deserved them, at the time. I was acting foolish, and even more reckless than usual. I really messed up back then. But it kept me motivated. Every time I gave an order, or led a mission, I thought twice about what I was doing. I thought twice, because I knew your lives had more value than mine. Each time I charged Talon head on, by myself, was because I didn't want you all to get hurt. When I fought that entire battalion, I did it because I knew my life had no meaning. If I died there, nothing would have changed."

I opened my mouth to apologize again, or to tell him he was being too hard on himself, but he continued speaking. "I'm out of place here. I admit it, I don't belong. You all have these dreams, and goals you wish to accomplish, and I'm just stuck here, desperately trying to keep up." Scott said, and his hands clenched into fists as he thought of something. I kept silent, listening to him as his breathing hitched. "You all have a fire deep inside you, keeping you ablaze. I don't have it. I realized that in Monaco, as I leaned on you for support. But...soon I will."

My eyes widened, and I slowly processed what he was saying. "Wait, Scott, are you...?" I trailed off, my mind flashing back to him in Monaco as he limped down the stairs, leaving me in a stunned silence. "I know you'll all hate me for it. But I have to." He said, all but confirming what I believed he was trying to say.

"Angela, I'm leaving Overwatch."

Oooh, cliffhanger! I'm sorry it's been taking a little while to get these chapters out, but I've been busy! I've really been looking forward to getting this chapter out. I wanted to continue writing about Scott and Angela's evolving friendship, and how Scott is coping with what he has to do. I also like pitting the two most stubborn characters in this story against each other in an argument.

Next chapter things between Scott, Olivia, and Overwatch will all come to a climax. Of course it's not the end, but I've been building up to this chapter for a long time. I can't wait for you all to read it!

Be sure to leave a review and let me know what you think! It helps me out a lot, and keeps me motivated!

Until next time!