The Uzbeki-Kyrgyz border was a dangerous war-torn place, filled with civil unrest on both sides. The United Nations had sent in Overwatch agents to help keep peace in the past, but since the fall, the two countries had fallen into Talon's clutches; A cocktail of civil unrest, political tension and border crises. On either side of the border, roughly ten kilometers in, were large medical encampments in which wounded soldiers and civilians could be treated. The hospitals were really nothing more than hastily built buildings with a series of cots in perfect rows. In addition to the largest room full of cots, there were smaller rooms for the doctors' personal offices, a small "pharmacy" and a state-of-the-art lab, generously supplied by the UN.
Dr. Ziegler sat at a small desk in one of the offices, rapidly typing a report on the day's injuries and treatments. It was part of her contract with the United Nations to keep a clean record of her studies in order to maintain transparency with the governments that funded the war relief. Angela was writing a report on an amputated limb scheduled for a cybernetic replacement, feeling completely exhausted from her long hours. She grabbed the mug of coffee that was nestled on the edge of the desk. She took a gulp, ignoring the fact it had since become cold. She sighed as she hit the 'submit' button and arched her back in her chair, reaching high for a stretch.
"Doctor Ziegler!"
Angela jumped at the unexpected calling of her name and snapped her head towards the owner of the voice. In the doorway of her office stood an Omnic nurse.
"Yes Uridi?" Angela said, "What is it?"
"There are Talon soldiers here." Uridi replied. Uridi had become a trusted companion to Dr. Ziegler in the several years she had been stationed at the border. She was about a foot shorter than Angela, with a slim metallic frame. The metal of her skin was a silver-copper mix that, depending on the light, would appear iridescent. The omnic had copper cables of "hair" that sprouted like a ponytail from the back of her head.
"What?" Angela yelped with concern, standing up so fast the coffee mug spilled across her coat. Verdammit.
"Careful," Uridi said. Angela looked at her friend's face, blank except for two blue slants that signified her eyes; They glowed at various brightness when she spoke in her distorted voice.
"What do they want?" Angela sighed. Nothing good ever came from a Talon visit. Those dirty bastards were the reason for a lot of the violence and injuries she treated.
"It appears they are looking for aid," Uridi responded, motioning for Angela to follow her, "They are waiting in the clinic."
Angela sighed again, her brow furrowing. What could Talon possibly need aid for? Either way, she would need to address their presence at her clinic. She quickly snatched a paper towel from the roll next to her desk and dabbed at the coffee stain on her white coat.
"Doctor," Uridi's voice floated through the door, "Are you coming?"
"Yes, yes," she called back, dropping the towel into the waste bin, "I had to clean up my mess."
"Very well," the omnic responded, "But hurry, it seems urgent."
Urgent? Angela grabbed her caduceus that was leaning against the desk. She followed Uridi out of the office and down the short hallway towards the space designated as the clinic. The omnic pulled open the door and motioned her inside.
Angela entered the relatively small space to see four armed Talon soldiers in their disgusting black and red uniforms. They were surrounding a fifth soldier who lay spread out on a cot, half-conscious.
"Gentlemen," Angela said, her tone cold, "What brings you to my hospital?"
"Doctor," one of the soldiers rasped, "Please help us."
Angela glanced between the injured soldier and his comrades surrounding him. She had never before seen Talon agents look more uncomfortable and frightened. The one who had spoken to her was clad in a similar manner to the others, most notably in with faceless black masks. However, the one that appeared to be injured had a red visor on his helmet-the commander.
"What happened," Angela said, lips pursed. She didn't want to help the Talon soldiers, but it was her duty as a doctor to help those in need.
"We were on a uh…classified mission," another soldier piped up. He flinched as Angela's eyes narrowed and the grip on her caduceus tightened.
"N-nothing bad," a third stuttered out, "Just a supply run."
"Go on," Angela said.
"While we were on the mission we were attacked," the first soldier shuddered.
"Attacked by what?" Angela asked with a frown. There weren't many wild animals this close to the warzone. Many of the more dangerous species had vacated the area long ago when the fighting had first started.
"It was a person I think," said the second soldier, "They were this ghost-like figure. No face on the mask, just white. Dressed in all grey." The other soldiers nodded.
"They injured Alpha," the fourth soldier said, motioning to the injured man. "They had this freaking ability, kinda like the Reaper-"
"And you're sure it wasn't the Reaper," Angela interrupted, pinching her nose. Were these agents just confused?
"Positive," whispered the third soldier, "That thing…it had other worldly abilities. Sure, the thing could move like smoke, but there was something electric about it too."
"Don't forget those beasts either," mumbled the second soldier, "It sent these dog-like things after us. That's what got Alpha."
'Very well," Angela said, clicking her staff on the ground, "I will treat him, but I will need the rest of you to return where you came from. I can't have you making my other patients uncomfortable."
"We don't go solo," the first soldier gruffed, "I'll stay behind. Delta, you'll escort the others back to camp." He nodded at the third soldier.
"Fine," Angela said cooly, "Then please vacate so I may get to work. Uridi, please show them out."
"Yes, Doctor," Uridi chirped, "Gentlemen, this way please." The other three soldiers nodded at whom Angela assumed was their second in command and followed her nurse out.
"Please step back Mr…" Angela directed, unsure how to address the soldier.
"Beta," the soldier replied, "Can you help him Doc?"
"Mr. Beta," she said, "I will do my very best. That is a promise. Now please, give me some space to work."
Beta nodded and moved to sit on a vacant cot across the room. Angela sighed, resting her caduceus against the edge of the cot. The soldier on the bed was trembling, his breathing rapid and hollow. She quickly moved across the room, grabbing one of the IV drips and a bag of saline. She slipped some gloves on her hands as she went about preparing a saline drip.
"Where was he hurt?" Angela asked without looking up. She gently inserted the IV needle into the top of the patient's right hand, tapping it twice to make sure the flow was steady.
"Torso. Left side." Beta gruffed from across the room.
Angela circled to the other side of the cot, searching for the wound. It didn't take long to find it. Just below the rib cage was an ugly looking wound, bloodied with mangled flesh around it. It appeared that whatever had done this to the soldier had been strong enough to break right through his armor.
"Uridi," Angela said, recognizing the footfall of her omnic companion, "Please help me get this armor off."
"Yes, Doctor," Uridi replied, quickly coming to her aid.
The armor was difficult to remove, as too much movement sent the patient into a fit of pain.
After a few minutes of fiddling with the clasps of the armor, Angela was finally able to peel it off, the soldier wincing in agony. The under armor was much easier to remove, but doing so brought a gruesome sight.
"Goodness," Uridi gasped.
"Mein Gott," Angela whispered. Her hand flew up to her nose as the stench of rotting, burnt flesh assaulted her nostrils.
"Jesus Christ," Beta gagged from across the room.
"I am very thankful I do not have a nose," Uridi muttered, "But I shall fetch you a mask."
Uridi returned quickly with filtered masks, distributing them to Angela and Beta. Angela quickly adjusted her mask across her face and with a gulp, returned to the examination. The skin surrounding the wound was a charred black mess, small sparks of electricity still sparking from the edges. The skin that stretched away from the injury was already showing signs of advanced necrosis, with deep purple-black veins snaking further outward across the body. Angela couldn't help but be both fascinated and disgusted all at once. This was unlike any electrical injury she'd ever seen before.
"We need to get him some morphine," Angela said, giving a glance to Uridi.
The bot nodded and hurried to prepare the drug. Moments later, Angela took the syringe from her assistant and gently inserted the needle into the soldier's arm. He groaned in half-conscious pain.
"Shh," Angela cooed, "This is going to make the pain stop." Angela handed the syringe back to her assistant to dispose of and continued her examination.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Beta grumbled.
"I don't know," Angela said honestly, "But I assure you I will do everything in my power to help-" Angela was interrupted as the injured soldier began to violently convulse.
"Uridi," snapped Angela, "Defibrillator now! He's going into cardiac arrest!"
The convulsing had stopped almost as soon as it started, the soldier's body going limp. Angela swore under her breath as she began attempting chest compressions. She moved to the rhythm of thirty chest compressions, a bead of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. Uridi returned with one of the few defibrillators in the facility.
"Take over the compressions," Angela barked. Uridi did as she was told as Angela ripped open the AED kit. She quickly pressed the patches onto the soldier's chest, moving quickly to start the defibrillator.
"Clear!" Angela shouted. Uridi stepped away as Angela activated the device, sending a shock through the machine. The soldier's body jolted, but still remained motionless.
"Clear!" Angela shouted again, trying a second time. The soldier's body jolted again, this time not as aggressively. Angela passed the defibrillator to Uridi, and checked for a pulse.
"Verdammit," Angela said, slamming her fist on the wall.
"What happened is he-" Beta didn't finish his sentence. He knew by the sorry look in the doctor's eyes that the answer was grim.
"I'm sorry Beta," Angela said with a frown.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Beta cried, cradling his head in his hands, "Just fuck."
"Uridi," Angela said quietly, "Please take him to the morgue and begin conducting an autopsy."
"Very well," Uridi replied, removing the defibrillator pads from the now deceased soldier.
Angela sighed heavily, turning to Beta. He was slouched on one of the cots, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry," Angela said, "I did what I could." Beta didn't respond. Angela turned her gaze to the window of the room; The sun was almost entirely set."I will let you rest here for the night," she said, "It's too dangerous to travel at night alone, soldier or not."
Beta didn't say a word. Angela sighed, "My office is down at the end of the hall. Get some rest and you can call your squad in the morning."
She didn't wait to hear his answer before she grabbed her caduceus from where it had been propped against the cot and headed back to her office. Angela wondered what in the hell had done that to the soldier. She hated to admit it, but she was morbidly curious. What could have done that to him? She considered for a moment that the men really had been in shock and had simply been attacked by the Reaper. But then again, that didn't fit his profile-unless they were disobeying orders. Angela found herself standing at the entrance to the morgue. She closed her eyes and sighed as she pushed open the double doors and entered.
The morgue was rather small compared to some of the others Angela had operated in before, only five freezer doors lined the wall to the right of the entrance. Across the room was an operating table in which the corpse of the soldier now lay completely bare. Uridi turned to greet her.
"Doctor," she chirped, "You're going to want to see this. Come, quickly."
Angela rushed over to where Uridi was and involuntarily recoiled at the sight of the corpse. The soldier's wound looked even more ghastly than it had before.
"Mein Gott," Angela whispered as her eyes trailed up the body. The entire body appeared to have begun to completely decompose at an impossible pace. The soldier's skin had become a dark grey color, with a deep purple hue spidering across the body from the point of the wound. The face of the soldier was frozen in a state of complete agony, lips blackened and eyes completely white.
"What could have done this?" Uridi asked, concerned. Angela was silent. This was unlike anything she had ever seen.
"I don't know," she answered honestly, looking at Uridi, "But we need to get this autopsy done.
"Affirmative," the bot replied as they set to work.
Reaper sulked in the shadows of the Talon base. He thought this mission was pointless, but with Akande putting on the pressure to investigate strange creatures attacking Talon agents, there he was, listening to the story one of the squads was telling. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, wondering just what the point of this story leaned forward with interest as he heard the leader of the group mention seeking aid from one of the hospitals on the other side of the border.
"Has Beta sent any word?" one of the soldiers asked.
"No, not yet-" another began but was cut off, "Hold on, I'm getting something on my comms." He pressed two of his fingers to the side of his helmet. "This is Delta, go."
The other two soldiers with Delta watched in anticipation before his arm went slack.
"Fuck," he barked.
"What? What is it?" one of the soldiers said with unease.
"He-he didn't make it…" Delta said quietly, "Beta said that Doctor Zoolander or whatever her name is, did what she could."
"Bullshit!" snapped one of the soldiers, "She didn't even want to help us! She probably let him die because he was Talon."
This piqued Reaper's interest. Dr. Ziegler eh? This could be interesting. Reaper swiftly changed his form into a cloud of dark smoke and quietly faded from the room. He had a doctor to visit.