p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" As the shrill voice of her alarm clock screamed the song of its people, Iris groaned and rolled over, looking out at the dreary morning rain pounding her apartment window. It was hardly bright enough outside to call it a morning. Therefore, sleep could theoretically continue./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Just a few more minutes," she croaked, unceremoniously smacking the alarm clock and pulling her pillow over her eyes./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Only a few moments later, the clock went off again, insisting it was absolutely time to get up and there was nothing she could do about it. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Groaning, she sat up and unplugged the damn thing, grumbling to herself about why the hell she set the alarm to go off so early. Once the shrieking had stopped, she took in a deep breath, wiping the sleep away from her eyes to take in the dark bedroom she slept in. Alone. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" It had been months since her sisters had moved into that London Overwatch safehouse, with Iris adamant she stayed behind. Someone had to be there for their aunt; a woman well into her sixties with ALS couldn't live on her own, and she refused to go into someone else's care. After all, their aunt had done so much for them, had financed a good portion of their lives in Walworth, had paid for private schooling for them when they were just little things. She was the reason Iris had managed to get through art school with enough to keep her afloat as she looked for work after. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She owed her life, new and old, to little old Cordelia Morgan. After all, Iris and her sisters would have never escaped that orphanage in Belfast together if it hadn't been for her kindness. It was time someone repaid that, Overwatch - and Briallen - be damned./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" As she began going about her day, Iris wished her sisters had seen reason and stayed. Her mornings used to be filled with quiet chatting and laughter, in petty little squabbles over who got to use the bathroom first, fawning over Syvlia's amazing cooking. Now, they were spent in the quiet, teasing knots out of fur, helping her aunt eat her breakfast, and waiting, an unmistakable undercurrent of anger that only built with every passing day./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Around noon, after a day of cleaning and caring for Cordelia, Iris finally got a break, and she chose to spend that break the same way she had for the past month; curled up in one of the big armchairs watching old videos on her phone./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She missed the days before all of this. Before Cordelia was diagnosed, before she and her sisters moved to Washington, before her world was torn apart again. She had loved her friends, her life, had loved her job, her flat, mornings down at Lucky's, cold coffee and crumbling coffee cake, evenings down at the park. Most of all, she had loved Gibs. He had never known it, she had never said anything, but while her sisters had their eyes on cute coffee shop boys and fictional anime men, she had her eye on the adorable tech nerd who she'd met at an e-sports event. She had longed and pined and dreamed he would suddenly have an interest in her, to finally open his stupid eyes and see her, and it would have happened. If only he hadn't run into a poor, lost little puppy down on her luck and decided to take her in./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris had seen the way Gibson looked at her, she wasn't stupid. Not like Briallen was. To pass up something so good that was just waiting to fall into your lap… Not that Iris didn't like Briallen, she was a sweet girl and a good friend, until she up and disappeared, no texts, no calls, not even a fucking letter to let them know she was okay. All except for Gibson, who protected her fucking secret to the grave. Literally./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" It had taken her some time to see, but everything that had gone wrong in Iris' life was all to do with that bitch who got Gibson killed. It was Briallen's fault he was dead, Briallen's fault her sisters were in another goddamn country, huddled up in a bunker, unable to live their lives, it was Briallen's fault Iris had nothing left. Nothing except Cordelia./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Iris, darling, are you in here?" Cordelia called, the robotic hum of her scooter getting louder as she approached the living room, wheezing. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris paused the video, an old screen recording of a vid call with Gibson she'd taken accidentally and never deleted, and sat up, blinking. "Yeah, what's up?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "It's time dear," the old woman said plainly, her arm twitching involuntarily as she moved it to her lap. "I've just got a call from my sister."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris' heart fell into her lap as she listened to her aunt gasp for breath, letting her phone drop to the floor as she stood and made her way over to the doorway. "Are… Are you sure? She thinks I'm ready?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Cordelia smiled and nodded as much as she could. "More than. The programming should take over for you if you need it. Come, dear, it's time to make everything right again."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris looked into the mirror, meeting the golden yellow eyes with slitted pupils that peered back at her as she wiped the blood off her whiskers. The old woman had had more blood in her than she had expected and it had gotten all in her fur. She'd have to take a bath before she left to get rid of that metallic scent. She was shaking slightly, Cordelia said she would, said it was normal to have an adverse reaction to your first kill, how you dealt with it then would determine whether you could stomach it later. And stomach it she would, if it meant that Monarch bitch would be going down. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Grinning, she swiped her tongue over elongated canines, her eyes flashing. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" This was going to be fun./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
hr style="border-style: solid; border-color: #dddddd; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A soft sigh escaped your lips as you finished filling in one of the many accident reports you'd had to do in the past year. Yesterday, a soldier had run afoul a hive of bees, of which he was coincidentally allergic to. The day before, a scientist had had an altercation with a bicyclist's bicycle on the way to work. And today? Well, today the experiment the scientist had been working on had fucking exploded. It was a miracle those in attendance hadn't been torn apart by shrapnel./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your wings twitched anxiously as you stretched, popping the joints in your lower back. How long had you been sitting here? A glance to the wall clock on your right revealed it had been five long hours since your shift had started, and you still had three more to go. When was the last time you'd eaten?/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "You do realise you're broadcasting your thoughts again, right?" came a melodic voice from your doorway./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You jumped, twisting in your chair to see a pretty omnic woman standing on the threshold, holding a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a slice of dulce de leche in the other. Unlike Zenyatta and some other omnics you had met, her body language was very expressive and she carried herself much like Iris had back when she still lived in Walworth with her sisters./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your stomach groaned happily at the sight of the cake and you eagerly waved the omnic in. "Sorry Beenz, sometimes it slips. Is that for me?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz tilted her head and cocked a hip as she stopped by your desk. "No, Bri, it's for me. You know, the one with no mouth?" she said, pointing sarcastically at the purple sheet of metal that covered her face./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You both stared at each other for a second before bursting into peals of laughter, Beenz handing you the tea first, and then the cake. "What would I do without you, Beenz?" you asked, eagerly deciding where best to plunge your fork into the cake./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Probably shrivel up and die of starvation," she said nonchalantly, moving to sit on the corner of your desk, perched like a little bird. "I heard about the explosion today, was everyone okay?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You rolled your eyes. "em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"Go raibh maith agat na déithe, /emyes. Gordon, that idiot, decided it was a good idea to up their experiment's voltage today. Four coworkers with first degree burns on their arms and torsos, one coworker with near second degree burns on her face, poor girl, and three more coworkers with shrapnel wounds. Thankfully, none of it was lethal and they should all heal up pretty quickly. em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"Adaman/em," you murmured under your breath, taking a bite of your cake. It was absolutely delicious, creamy sponge dissolving on your tongue letting the warm taste of the vanilla dazzle your tastebuds. The ripe strawberry added just the right hint of sweet tartness to the mix when it burst on your tongue, taking the cake from perfect to ambrosia-esque. You moaned quietly at the taste, closing your eyes to enjoy it a little better./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz laughed, a soft tittering that reminded you of that little white robot from a movie made years and years ago. What was its title? Walleye? Whatever it was, you were, like, ninety percent sure that's what she modeled her voice after. It was pleasant to listen to, so you didn't really care too much./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Swallowing the bite of luxurious cake, you looked back up at your partner. "So, how are you liking the new body? Got any complaints I can send to the robotics team?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The omnic held out a hand, observing her fingers and giving them a wiggle. "I like it! I feel like I can do a lot more like this. But, I still like my old body too. I think I'll stick with that one when we go back out on missions, makes it easier for me to accompany you." She dropped her hand and looked back over to you. "I will say, though, it is pretty creepy switching my consciousness over and seeing the empty husk that is this body just sitting in the corner of the room."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You frowned. "Yeah, I could see how that'd be off putting."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She let you get a few more bites of cake in before she spoke again. "Hey, how's that search for a professional to get that memory chip reinstalled?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You nearly choked, startled by her words. Coughing, you held up a hand and set the cake down, reaching for your tea. Once you got a sip and cleared your throat, you were finally able to really breathe. "Um… you know, it's… going." You managed, your voice a little raw./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Mm-hmm," your friend hummed, tapping her fingers on your desk. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you weren't actually looking. But I do know better, and I know you. What's wrong?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A little bit of shame coloured your cheeks as you looked down at your hands in your lap. "I'm… I'm scared of what I'm going to find once it does get fixed… Morrigan wasn't a good person, B. Also…" You bit your lip a bit before getting up and going over to your door. Poking your head out, you checked to make sure no one was coming before you shut and locked the door, leaning against it. "This stays between us, but I'm afraid she might… take over, in a sense, if I get the chip reinstalled." You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling that anxiety build up just at the thought. "You know, I've only got seven years of memories as Briallen, and I'm only twenty eight years old. That's twenty one years of memories I'm missing, twenty one years of Morrigan's memories. What if… What if once I remember everything, I'm not me anymore? I have fought so hard to show the world that I'm not Morrigan, to move past everything she's done, what if it's all for nothing and she takes over? What if I lose myself?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz leapt off the desk at the sight of the tears beginning to form in your eyes, quickly unwrapping your arms from around your chest to take your hands. "Briallen, em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"a chara,/em in the very short time I have been alive, I have not known a stronger person than you. Everything you've been through, all of it, has made you stronger. Whatever happens, whatever you remember, I have nothing but faith that you'll come through it and be nothing but stronger." She gave your hands a little squeeze. "You'll be okay."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You smiled and sniffled a bit, suddenly embracing her in a hug. "Thanks, B."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Not even a full month after your conversation with Beenz, you'd been called for relocation. The base in Japan needed a new field medic, one more competent than the last, and you'd apparently drawn the short straw. Angela tried to reassure you that it'd be good for you, that you'd love it there, especially since Hana and Genji had been reassigned there, so you'd have friends. You were not so sure. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You liked Gibraltar, liked sharing a yacht with Jesse, very much enjoyed slow, sleepy mornings with him, not having to worry about either of you being redeployed elsewhere. And, by your own will or not, you'd come to like the staff there, as accident-prone as they may be. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" But you couldn't NOT go to Ashikawa, so you sadly packed your bags, and counted down the days until you were scheduled to leave./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your parting with Jesse was sorrowful, you both shedding tears at the prospect of not seeing each other for a while, but you assured him he could come visit any time he liked and, hopefully, the assignment wouldn't be long. You hugged, and kissed, goodbye, and he helped you onto the jet, promising both he and Hanzo would be paying a visit soon. Then the door closed, blocking out your view of his sad smile./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Sighing, you settled in for the long journey, your phone already blowing up with messages from Jesse, and a couple from Hanzo wishing you a safe journey and listing a few good places to visit while you were in his home country. You put them on your to-do list and turned the ac on, making it easier for you to slip into a hazy slumber and sleep the flight away./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"...reports are flooding in from all over of new mutants springing up out of the woodwork. Citizens of every nation are encouraged not to interact with these mutants as a vast majority have proven to be violent and dangerous. Authorities ask that citizens with any information of the whereabouts of these dangerous creatures please approach your nearest law enforcement facility and turn in said information for a reward./em/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;"em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;" Where are these mutants coming from? What are they here for? And when will the carnage stop? All this and more, coming up next./em"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The reporter's voice slowly pulled you out of your sleep, as did the turbulence that shook the aircraft a little more violently than you would like. Blinking quickly to dispel the sleep haze in your eyes, you looked up to find the only other occupant on your flight, some D-class soldier sent to escort you, had the news on and was watching with rapt attention./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Upon noticing you shift and stretch, he cast a nervous glance towards you, as if expecting you to suddenly leap at him and tear his throat out./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You rolled your eyes. "Oh em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"mallacht mo chait ort/em," you murmured, shaking your head. Another bout of turbulence shook the jet violently before you could say anything else, followed quickly by the pilot chiming in through the coms./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Just a little bit of a storm, nothing to worry about. We've shifted our course so we avoid the worst of it. We'll be landing in Japan in about seven hours," he said, his cheerful words offset by yet more turbulence. It seemed each time it was getting worse./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Frowning, you checked your course through the provided holoscreen in front of you, watching as the red line shifted from a straight line to a curvy thing, the little plane icon showing you were just over the Tian Shen mountains of Kazakhstan. "That's a pretty big diversion," you murmured, turning your gaze from the screen to the window beside you. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A giant mass of dark clouds roiled outside, lighting striking ominously from within its curling depths, appearing to get closer with every strike. Deafening thunder shook the jet again, sounding louder with every clap./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The air felt staticky, almost filled with electricity as you got up, moving closer to the cockpit, intent on addressing the captain and learning how sure he was you'd get out of there safely. Before you could open the door, the lights went out and the jet began listing to the left, a clap of thunder shaking the aircraft violently. You felt weightless, still a little foggy from the ac, and panic bloomed in your chest. From behind the closed door, you could hear the pilot and co-pilot shouting, and then suddenly, you were on your side, sliding closer to the wall. From outside the window, you could see the mountains rapidly growing larger, getting closer. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You braced for impact./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" An explosion of pain tore through your body. And then it all went dark./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Just a few more minutes," she croaked, unceremoniously smacking the alarm clock and pulling her pillow over her eyes./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Only a few moments later, the clock went off again, insisting it was absolutely time to get up and there was nothing she could do about it. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Groaning, she sat up and unplugged the damn thing, grumbling to herself about why the hell she set the alarm to go off so early. Once the shrieking had stopped, she took in a deep breath, wiping the sleep away from her eyes to take in the dark bedroom she slept in. Alone. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" It had been months since her sisters had moved into that London Overwatch safehouse, with Iris adamant she stayed behind. Someone had to be there for their aunt; a woman well into her sixties with ALS couldn't live on her own, and she refused to go into someone else's care. After all, their aunt had done so much for them, had financed a good portion of their lives in Walworth, had paid for private schooling for them when they were just little things. She was the reason Iris had managed to get through art school with enough to keep her afloat as she looked for work after. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She owed her life, new and old, to little old Cordelia Morgan. After all, Iris and her sisters would have never escaped that orphanage in Belfast together if it hadn't been for her kindness. It was time someone repaid that, Overwatch - and Briallen - be damned./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" As she began going about her day, Iris wished her sisters had seen reason and stayed. Her mornings used to be filled with quiet chatting and laughter, in petty little squabbles over who got to use the bathroom first, fawning over Syvlia's amazing cooking. Now, they were spent in the quiet, teasing knots out of fur, helping her aunt eat her breakfast, and waiting, an unmistakable undercurrent of anger that only built with every passing day./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Around noon, after a day of cleaning and caring for Cordelia, Iris finally got a break, and she chose to spend that break the same way she had for the past month; curled up in one of the big armchairs watching old videos on her phone./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She missed the days before all of this. Before Cordelia was diagnosed, before she and her sisters moved to Washington, before her world was torn apart again. She had loved her friends, her life, had loved her job, her flat, mornings down at Lucky's, cold coffee and crumbling coffee cake, evenings down at the park. Most of all, she had loved Gibs. He had never known it, she had never said anything, but while her sisters had their eyes on cute coffee shop boys and fictional anime men, she had her eye on the adorable tech nerd who she'd met at an e-sports event. She had longed and pined and dreamed he would suddenly have an interest in her, to finally open his stupid eyes and see her, and it would have happened. If only he hadn't run into a poor, lost little puppy down on her luck and decided to take her in./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris had seen the way Gibson looked at her, she wasn't stupid. Not like Briallen was. To pass up something so good that was just waiting to fall into your lap… Not that Iris didn't like Briallen, she was a sweet girl and a good friend, until she up and disappeared, no texts, no calls, not even a fucking letter to let them know she was okay. All except for Gibson, who protected her fucking secret to the grave. Literally./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" It had taken her some time to see, but everything that had gone wrong in Iris' life was all to do with that bitch who got Gibson killed. It was Briallen's fault he was dead, Briallen's fault her sisters were in another goddamn country, huddled up in a bunker, unable to live their lives, it was Briallen's fault Iris had nothing left. Nothing except Cordelia./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Iris, darling, are you in here?" Cordelia called, the robotic hum of her scooter getting louder as she approached the living room, wheezing. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris paused the video, an old screen recording of a vid call with Gibson she'd taken accidentally and never deleted, and sat up, blinking. "Yeah, what's up?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "It's time dear," the old woman said plainly, her arm twitching involuntarily as she moved it to her lap. "I've just got a call from my sister."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris' heart fell into her lap as she listened to her aunt gasp for breath, letting her phone drop to the floor as she stood and made her way over to the doorway. "Are… Are you sure? She thinks I'm ready?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Cordelia smiled and nodded as much as she could. "More than. The programming should take over for you if you need it. Come, dear, it's time to make everything right again."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Iris looked into the mirror, meeting the golden yellow eyes with slitted pupils that peered back at her as she wiped the blood off her whiskers. The old woman had had more blood in her than she had expected and it had gotten all in her fur. She'd have to take a bath before she left to get rid of that metallic scent. She was shaking slightly, Cordelia said she would, said it was normal to have an adverse reaction to your first kill, how you dealt with it then would determine whether you could stomach it later. And stomach it she would, if it meant that Monarch bitch would be going down. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Grinning, she swiped her tongue over elongated canines, her eyes flashing. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" This was going to be fun./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
hr style="border-style: solid; border-color: #dddddd; border-image: initial; outline: 0px; line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A soft sigh escaped your lips as you finished filling in one of the many accident reports you'd had to do in the past year. Yesterday, a soldier had run afoul a hive of bees, of which he was coincidentally allergic to. The day before, a scientist had had an altercation with a bicyclist's bicycle on the way to work. And today? Well, today the experiment the scientist had been working on had fucking exploded. It was a miracle those in attendance hadn't been torn apart by shrapnel./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your wings twitched anxiously as you stretched, popping the joints in your lower back. How long had you been sitting here? A glance to the wall clock on your right revealed it had been five long hours since your shift had started, and you still had three more to go. When was the last time you'd eaten?/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "You do realise you're broadcasting your thoughts again, right?" came a melodic voice from your doorway./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You jumped, twisting in your chair to see a pretty omnic woman standing on the threshold, holding a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a slice of dulce de leche in the other. Unlike Zenyatta and some other omnics you had met, her body language was very expressive and she carried herself much like Iris had back when she still lived in Walworth with her sisters./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your stomach groaned happily at the sight of the cake and you eagerly waved the omnic in. "Sorry Beenz, sometimes it slips. Is that for me?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz tilted her head and cocked a hip as she stopped by your desk. "No, Bri, it's for me. You know, the one with no mouth?" she said, pointing sarcastically at the purple sheet of metal that covered her face./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You both stared at each other for a second before bursting into peals of laughter, Beenz handing you the tea first, and then the cake. "What would I do without you, Beenz?" you asked, eagerly deciding where best to plunge your fork into the cake./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Probably shrivel up and die of starvation," she said nonchalantly, moving to sit on the corner of your desk, perched like a little bird. "I heard about the explosion today, was everyone okay?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You rolled your eyes. "em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"Go raibh maith agat na déithe, /emyes. Gordon, that idiot, decided it was a good idea to up their experiment's voltage today. Four coworkers with first degree burns on their arms and torsos, one coworker with near second degree burns on her face, poor girl, and three more coworkers with shrapnel wounds. Thankfully, none of it was lethal and they should all heal up pretty quickly. em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"Adaman/em," you murmured under your breath, taking a bite of your cake. It was absolutely delicious, creamy sponge dissolving on your tongue letting the warm taste of the vanilla dazzle your tastebuds. The ripe strawberry added just the right hint of sweet tartness to the mix when it burst on your tongue, taking the cake from perfect to ambrosia-esque. You moaned quietly at the taste, closing your eyes to enjoy it a little better./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz laughed, a soft tittering that reminded you of that little white robot from a movie made years and years ago. What was its title? Walleye? Whatever it was, you were, like, ninety percent sure that's what she modeled her voice after. It was pleasant to listen to, so you didn't really care too much./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Swallowing the bite of luxurious cake, you looked back up at your partner. "So, how are you liking the new body? Got any complaints I can send to the robotics team?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The omnic held out a hand, observing her fingers and giving them a wiggle. "I like it! I feel like I can do a lot more like this. But, I still like my old body too. I think I'll stick with that one when we go back out on missions, makes it easier for me to accompany you." She dropped her hand and looked back over to you. "I will say, though, it is pretty creepy switching my consciousness over and seeing the empty husk that is this body just sitting in the corner of the room."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You frowned. "Yeah, I could see how that'd be off putting."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" She let you get a few more bites of cake in before she spoke again. "Hey, how's that search for a professional to get that memory chip reinstalled?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You nearly choked, startled by her words. Coughing, you held up a hand and set the cake down, reaching for your tea. Once you got a sip and cleared your throat, you were finally able to really breathe. "Um… you know, it's… going." You managed, your voice a little raw./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Mm-hmm," your friend hummed, tapping her fingers on your desk. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you weren't actually looking. But I do know better, and I know you. What's wrong?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A little bit of shame coloured your cheeks as you looked down at your hands in your lap. "I'm… I'm scared of what I'm going to find once it does get fixed… Morrigan wasn't a good person, B. Also…" You bit your lip a bit before getting up and going over to your door. Poking your head out, you checked to make sure no one was coming before you shut and locked the door, leaning against it. "This stays between us, but I'm afraid she might… take over, in a sense, if I get the chip reinstalled." You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling that anxiety build up just at the thought. "You know, I've only got seven years of memories as Briallen, and I'm only twenty eight years old. That's twenty one years of memories I'm missing, twenty one years of Morrigan's memories. What if… What if once I remember everything, I'm not me anymore? I have fought so hard to show the world that I'm not Morrigan, to move past everything she's done, what if it's all for nothing and she takes over? What if I lose myself?"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Beenz leapt off the desk at the sight of the tears beginning to form in your eyes, quickly unwrapping your arms from around your chest to take your hands. "Briallen, em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"a chara,/em in the very short time I have been alive, I have not known a stronger person than you. Everything you've been through, all of it, has made you stronger. Whatever happens, whatever you remember, I have nothing but faith that you'll come through it and be nothing but stronger." She gave your hands a little squeeze. "You'll be okay."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You smiled and sniffled a bit, suddenly embracing her in a hug. "Thanks, B."/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Not even a full month after your conversation with Beenz, you'd been called for relocation. The base in Japan needed a new field medic, one more competent than the last, and you'd apparently drawn the short straw. Angela tried to reassure you that it'd be good for you, that you'd love it there, especially since Hana and Genji had been reassigned there, so you'd have friends. You were not so sure. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You liked Gibraltar, liked sharing a yacht with Jesse, very much enjoyed slow, sleepy mornings with him, not having to worry about either of you being redeployed elsewhere. And, by your own will or not, you'd come to like the staff there, as accident-prone as they may be. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" But you couldn't NOT go to Ashikawa, so you sadly packed your bags, and counted down the days until you were scheduled to leave./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Your parting with Jesse was sorrowful, you both shedding tears at the prospect of not seeing each other for a while, but you assured him he could come visit any time he liked and, hopefully, the assignment wouldn't be long. You hugged, and kissed, goodbye, and he helped you onto the jet, promising both he and Hanzo would be paying a visit soon. Then the door closed, blocking out your view of his sad smile./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Sighing, you settled in for the long journey, your phone already blowing up with messages from Jesse, and a couple from Hanzo wishing you a safe journey and listing a few good places to visit while you were in his home country. You put them on your to-do list and turned the ac on, making it easier for you to slip into a hazy slumber and sleep the flight away./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; clear: none !important;" /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"...reports are flooding in from all over of new mutants springing up out of the woodwork. Citizens of every nation are encouraged not to interact with these mutants as a vast majority have proven to be violent and dangerous. Authorities ask that citizens with any information of the whereabouts of these dangerous creatures please approach your nearest law enforcement facility and turn in said information for a reward./em/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;"em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;" Where are these mutants coming from? What are they here for? And when will the carnage stop? All this and more, coming up next./em"/p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The reporter's voice slowly pulled you out of your sleep, as did the turbulence that shook the aircraft a little more violently than you would like. Blinking quickly to dispel the sleep haze in your eyes, you looked up to find the only other occupant on your flight, some D-class soldier sent to escort you, had the news on and was watching with rapt attention./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Upon noticing you shift and stretch, he cast a nervous glance towards you, as if expecting you to suddenly leap at him and tear his throat out./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You rolled your eyes. "Oh em style="line-height: 1.7em; white-space: inherit; clear: none !important; color: inherit !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important;"mallacht mo chait ort/em," you murmured, shaking your head. Another bout of turbulence shook the jet violently before you could say anything else, followed quickly by the pilot chiming in through the coms./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" "Just a little bit of a storm, nothing to worry about. We've shifted our course so we avoid the worst of it. We'll be landing in Japan in about seven hours," he said, his cheerful words offset by yet more turbulence. It seemed each time it was getting worse./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" Frowning, you checked your course through the provided holoscreen in front of you, watching as the red line shifted from a straight line to a curvy thing, the little plane icon showing you were just over the Tian Shen mountains of Kazakhstan. "That's a pretty big diversion," you murmured, turning your gaze from the screen to the window beside you. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" A giant mass of dark clouds roiled outside, lighting striking ominously from within its curling depths, appearing to get closer with every strike. Deafening thunder shook the jet again, sounding louder with every clap./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" The air felt staticky, almost filled with electricity as you got up, moving closer to the cockpit, intent on addressing the captain and learning how sure he was you'd get out of there safely. Before you could open the door, the lights went out and the jet began listing to the left, a clap of thunder shaking the aircraft violently. You felt weightless, still a little foggy from the ac, and panic bloomed in your chest. From behind the closed door, you could hear the pilot and co-pilot shouting, and then suddenly, you were on your side, sliding closer to the wall. From outside the window, you could see the mountains rapidly growing larger, getting closer. /p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" You braced for impact./p
p style="line-height: 1.7em; color: #222222; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; background-color: #fefefe; margin-left: 6px; clear: none !important;" An explosion of pain tore through your body. And then it all went dark./p