Mercy

'How do you feel about this, Angela?'

'Truthfully? Scared.'

'Mm.'

'But I understand the reasoning, and it's a sound plan so long as we understand our enemy's desires well enough.'

'Remember: it's only one scenario of many.'

'It's the most probable, Winston. We both know this.'

'True…'

'Moira won't pass on such an opportunity. She's always been envious of my nanotechnology, and she'll see this as the perfect chance to uncover its secrets.'

'Could she?'

'Knowing her? I wouldn't doubt it.'

'Then we best move quickly if she successfully captures you.'

'Successfully? I suppose I'll willingly be escorted out of Oasis…albeit rather roughly, I'm sure.'

'Very well. I'll prepare the tracking devices, then, and I'll have a pre-emptive squad ready to infiltrate your holding place the moment it's located.'

'You have my thanks.'

'We're always on the defensive when dealing with Talon. This plan comes with high risks, but if we can land a blow against them here, we gain something of an advantage; perhaps even favour in the eyes of the U.N., if all goes perfectly well.'

'Jack planned this very competently, I see.'

'Er…'

'Come now, Winston. We both know you are not the scheming type. You're all the more wonderful for it. Jack thought this up, didn't he?'

'He…may have suggested something here and there…'

'Such a silly man at times.'

'I'm sorry.'

'You have nothing to apologize for. I'm agreeing to it because I see the benefits. If putting my life on the line inadvertently helps thousands in the long run, I hesitate not.'

'…Are you sure?'

'Heh. Well, now. You see through me, don't you?'

'I'm not positive, but…something seems off.'

'Can you keep a secret, Winston? Should I return safe and sound to base, I likely will take it upon myself to reveal what I'm about to say to those involved, but for now, I feel it's best not to complicate matters more than necessary considering our circumstances.'

'O-of course!'

'I…am currently in a relationship with Fareeha Amari.'

'…Pardon?'

'Heheh! An adorable reaction. But I am not teasing you'

'Oh. O-oh!'

'I am quite smitten with her. I am unsure how far our fancies will take us, but I do care about her quite a bit.'

'That's…uh…unexpected.'

'Believe me, I know. I would have never foreseen such a turn of events.'

'Should we tell her about the possibility of this plan unfolding?'

'No.'

'No?'

'She'd never allow it. Do not tell Lena either. She's too soft-hearted to understand the rewards this risk could bring.'

'What if Fareeha gets hurt?'

'…You had to ask that, didn't you?'

'Well…'

'I'll protect her. It's all part of the risk.'

'Are you okay?'

'Yes. No. I…can't stand the thought of her getting injured because of me but, in the same breath, I want her by my side. I can't do this without her. It would be…too terrifying.'

'I'll ask Torbjorn to make the appropriate modifications to her suit, then. She'll be the first to know where they take you. We'll keep in contact with her and direct as necessary. She's her mother's daughter, and I have faith her skills are worthy of the Amari name.'

'Thank-you, Winston.'

'Do you need a tissue?'

'…Please.'

'You…um…really care about her, huh?'

'Heh. It's strange for me to tear up so easily, isn't it?'

'It is.'

'She does this to me, you know? Makes me question my sanity.'

'I think…that means it's something special. Maybe.'

'For certain.'

'…Well, let's go over the details one last time, okay?'

'Please.'

'If we can successfully capture Moira, we deal a massive blow to Talon they won't soon recover from.'

'And vice-versa if I am not hastily recovered.'

'…Y-yeah…'

'…Winston?'

'Uh-huh?'

'If I prepare a letter for Fareeha, should the absolute worst-case scenario transpire, would you please give it to her?'

'…Yes.'

'Thank-you.'

'But we won't let that "worst-case scenario" happen, Angela.'

'I'm positive you are telling the truth, but I will prepare one nonetheless.'

She awoke from what she could assume to be some form of sleep-inducing drug. Angela attempted to struggle, but only barely nudged her shoulders, hurting her neck with the sharp movement. She breathed out shakily once she managed to comprehend what her current reality was, and prayed she wouldn't be waiting too long for relief.

'Mm. Momentary panic hastily replaced with forced calmness instigated by the hope that you will, indeed, be rescued by your pitiful organization. How sad.' Moira commented, holding a destroyed tracking device that had once rested within Angela's flowery headband. 'Also, how obvious. You truly underestimate me so? I'm wounded.'

Angela observed her surroundings as much as she could without being overly transparent. She was clearly in some kind of lab, but it didn't look like the state-of-the-art facility she would expect from Moira of Talon. Was she in some form of secondary base for Talon? A hidden experimental room for Moira alone? It was unfortunate, but at least Moira was here before her, and that was still worth the risk. However, Angela also took note of the various attachments to her body, wires feeding into multiple computers and images showing what appeared to be microscopic enhancements of her body's internal functions and structures. She could piece together what it all meant, and she swallowed, maintaining a front of bravado, but thinking fiercely of a young woman with dark skin and kind, selfless eyes.

'You would lower yourself further, Moira? I'm wounded. To think I considered you a rival at one point.' Angela managed, although her voice hurt.

There was a momentary pause, and Angela couldn't catch Moira's reaction, but she could only assume, based on the silence, that she was hardly pleased.

'You always had a flicker of arrogance about you. I seemed to be the only one capable of observing it, but I thought it strange considering your seeming wish to "save the world". Is that simply to feed your ego as well?'

'How one is viewed is often influenced by the emotions associated with that same individual. You were and are jealous of my accomplishments, and thus, every action I take will be skewed by that fragmented lens. Arrogance to you; confidence to others.'

Another pause, and Moira didn't reply this time, fiddling with her desk of tools before placing something cold on Angela's arm. Overwatch's angel didn't have time to comprehend what happened prior to her whole body flinching, the nerves reacting to the indescribable pain ahead of her brain's understanding that a hole approximately half an inch in diameter had been instantaneously punctured through her limb. Angela clamped her mouth shut, but she was screaming within, a shrieking muffled by her own choice as her neck swelled with veins and blood pooled over the wound, dripping down her arm. In the moment of agony she, for whatever reason, realized she was still in the white dress she had been so excited about showing Fareeha just earlier this day.

Moira shifted in her chair, tapping away at a computer as the numbers and images on her multitude of screens fluctuated. She hummed creepily to herself, and once Angela's nanomachines began to work their magic, the other doctor went especially quiet, squinting at the information being fed to her and flying her fingers across the holographic keyboard.

'Riveting…' She commented quite simply. 'A small wonder you do not help the populace by implementing a similar procedure to them all. I doubt the entire planet would have the resources necessary, based on what I have speculated, to fund such a project. Thus, you inject yourself with hundreds upon thousands upon millions of nanomachines with the mindset of, "then I shall stay alive long enough to help as many as possible". Is this a feasible evaluation?'

Angela was just barely finished recovering from the preliminary damage done to her body. Her face was covered in sweat, and her breaths felt tight. Such extreme destruction to her body left lingering fluctuations. Moira likely used some form of miniature laser to inflict immediate harm. How much longer would Angela stay conscious if she continued such methods?

'Where are your snarky comments now, Dr. Ziegler? Ah, yes. You aren't what you once were, are you? Indeed, the nanomachines have kept you alive and youthful well enough, but there are signs of degeneration. From what I have just seen, overusing them has a rather adverse effect, no? If they cannot "reproduce" faster than their ability to heal, you progressively lose more and more, weakening your physical self with every "revive" and mortal wound recovered from. Therefore, I must ask, why not inject yourself with more? A curious conundrum. Perhaps because the initial implementation was risky enough as is? Mayhap a new batch of nanomachines wouldn't coexist with the previous ones safely? I can only speculate upon that part.'

Three more hits. Her other arm and both her legs, just above the knee cap.

'A-ahhhhhh! Ugh…H-hah…mng…!'

Darkness.

'I've tried writing a song before.'

'Oh? Really? What was it about?'

'Er…'

'Come now. It can't be that embarrassing.'

'It was something of a tribute to my mother, I guess.'

'O-oh…'

'It was terrible, but it made me feel better. I can play the guitar well enough, but I can't carry a tune to save my life.'

'Hahah! I'm not very good either. That being said, would you sing a line or two of it for me?'

'I'd rather not, Angela.'

'For a kiss?'

'…I-I can't really remember it.'

'But you would have for a kiss? Truly?'

'Of course…'

'Goodness! Aren't you precious? Come here, Fareeha Amari!'

Angela awoke again covered in sweat, her dress stuck to her body and her limbs aching. A strong scent filled her nose. She had been forced to become conscious again. Blood was caked to her skin and seeping into parts of her ballgown.

'I didn't say you could sleep. We were having an intelligent conversation, Dr. Ziegler.' Moira groaned in obvious annoyance. She was a monster. A monster that had only gotten started. 'I noticed a rather intriguing abnormality when your body went into distress from the little pricks I gave it. Your nanomachines are quite intelligent, aren't they? They healed your other arm's wound much quicker than your legs. Can they learn and retain information? Or was it only because of the proximity and timing of the wounds? Further analysis is required, I'm afraid. You understand. We're both doctor's, after all.'

'You haven't…figured them out yet…have you?' Angela wheezed, forcing herself to grin.

Moira's eye twitched, and she placed the cool device she had used to puncture Angela's body over the good doctor's forehead.

'Tell me, Dr. Ziegler, could they repair a brain? That would be quite the feat! The most complex organic material in the world reconstructed by your precious nanomachines! The tales you could tell…if you could still talk, that is. If you could still remember anything, that is; including that woman's daughter. What was her name again? The one you willingly gave yourself up for to keep safe?'

She was waiting for a reaction. Angela couldn't give it to her. She couldn't give her definitive leverage.

'Clamping up again? How…unfortunate. Let us increase the diameter of this little toy, shall we?'

Angela clamped her eyes shut, feeling a soft pressure on her stomach before there was darkness afresh.

'What's your favourite time of the day, Angela?'

'Oh? What a curious question! Why do you ask?'

'Because it's something I don't know about you.'

'Heheh! Is that all?'

'That's all.'

'Well, then…I'd say it would have to be evening. Nothing can compare to such glorious colours. It's quite sad, mind you, but it's part of what makes the moment so beautiful; because it must end eventually.'

'R-right. Happiness can only be realized because of sadness.'

'Hahah! Precisely. A memory is precious because it is just that.'

'…Can I admit something, Angela?'

'Of course. Please do.'

'Ever since our first outing together…I've been keeping a log of our time.'

'Like a diary?'

'…A log.'

'My apologies.'

'I don't want to forget anything. How strange, right?'

'No. Not in the slightest. I may have to do the same, because I value every second we spend with one another.'

'Heh.'

'And what about you, Fareeha? What part of the day do you love the most?'

'…Honestly? I'd never really thought much on it before.'

'I see.'

'But I have an answer now, I think.'

'And?'

'The part of the day you're in.'

Angela coughed. More ammonia inhalants. Her eyes felt like sandpaper, and she could taste blood, the sides of her mouth caked in it.

'You're a disaster, Dr. Ziegler.' Moira hummed lowly. 'But the data I've collected is more than sufficient. Thank-you for your cooperation, in that regard.' She pushed out of her chair, retreating to the other side of the room before initializing what had to be a communication device of some kind. 'Bring in the subject immediately. Thank-you.'

Angela blinked slowly, her bowels stabbing with pain.

'Do not fret. I simply wanted to observe the nanomachines working on an organ. Your large intestine and left kidney were compromised, but they are nearly completely reconstructed. It only took approximately half an hour. In your prime, I wonder what that number would be, but alas. Now, for one final note.'

Her arms again. Both of them in near unison. Angela tried to scream, but nothing came out. Her skin was convulsing, and she could nearly feel her cells disintegrating.

'Very good.' Moira nodded to herself, although she was just a shape in Angela's hindered vision. 'They do not retain memory, it would seem. I still have room for improvements. How exciting.'

It hurt. It was pain on par with what had happened in St. Petersburg. She knew this was precisely what would happen on the mission, but it didn't reduce the torturous experiments whatsoever. She didn't want to pass out again, however, because her thoughts let their guard down, and she feared Moira would somehow see her memories; the ones with Fareeha in them. Her Fareeha. Her gallant knight.

'Hm?' Moira perked up. 'They sped up? Why?' She observed one of the monitors closely. 'What are you thinking about? Are they in tune with your mental state? Heheh…This rabbit hole is much deeper than I could have ever anticipated. You truly are worthy of being my rival, Dr. Ziegler. No matter. This part of the experiment is over. I can work with such information, and your time is obviously limited.'

Relief. A momentary interlude. Angela caught her breath, her face sticky with sweat and blood. Her body twitching. Her eyes shaking. She had her mind still, but even that was breaking. Too much damage in too little of time. She needed to rest, otherwise…

A door slid open, and shuffling occurred, a muffled, frightened voice ushered into the lab. Moira clicked some pieces into place, assembling a similar readout from the patient as she had attached to Angela.

'You may go.' She demanded of the agent who brought in the other individual, waiting until the door slid shut again before continuing. 'Your "revive" ability is rather unique, isn't it? No other being on the planet can bring a singular individual back from the brink of death the way you can. More notably still, you could enact miraculous healing upon up to five individuals in your glory days, am I correct? No matter. I'm only concerned with the present.'

Angela could comprehend what came next. Her restraints were released, and no sooner had they clicked off her did Moira pump a hole into the "subject", the cloth tightly wrapped around his mouth making his screams slightly restrained as blood pumped out of his stomach like a volcanic eruption. The sound tore at Angela's ears, and she flipped off the table she was previously bound to, wires entangling her and her body heavier than she could possibly lift with minimal effort.

'This is Simon. A plain and terrible name. Say "hello", Simon.' Moira paused, humming morbidly again. 'Oh, Simon, do take it like a man, won't you? Dr. Ziegler will fix you up soon enough. He has approximately ten minutes, based on my calculations, Dr. Ziegler. He's killed nearly fifty individuals since working for Talon. He is one of our best snipers…if decades behind Widowmaker. Still, you'll save him, won't you?'

Angela coughed, straining to see straight and pushing herself up from the floor, barely viewing past Moira's shoes. She had no choice. Moira knew as much. This wasn't even a test anymore. It was a thorough examination. How much longer? Where were her comrades? This pain…This agony…

'Needs to be within a certain proximity. Gauging distance now. Oh, don't mind me, Dr. Ziegler. Thinking aloud. You know how it goes.'

Angela dragged herself across the floor, her body threatening to shut down at any moment. It was in critical condition. She could make that call. She was in a constant state of shock. Black clouds hung before her eyes, and the ringing in her ears was only getting louder. Why was she doing this again? He was the enemy. He had killed so many. What difference did it make if he died? The world would be better without him. How many more would he kill if she saved the Talon agent?

No.

His screams were real. His pain was real. Was it within Angela's power to judge his fate as such? He could be like another Widowmaker; killing against his will. Angela didn't know. She couldn't know. Her promise wasn't circumstantial, if she could help it. Like the hand reaching for her that she couldn't save. Like the hand that had the same blood as hers covering it. She changed the world because of that hand. She wouldn't turn away from it now. How could she face Fareeha if she did?

Blood smeared across the ground as Angela crawled, groaning in anguish as she did so.

'Running out of time, Dr. Ziegler.'

Hadn't she done enough? How much more did she have to suffer? What more could she offer the world? The people? Herself? The dark clouds were closing in over her eyes, and Angela lay her head on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Her body was pushing back. The nanomachines were turning against her.

'Fareeha…help me…' She sobbed quietly.

'When the fight is over, Fareeha, and should we all be alive and well, what would you want to do afterward?'

'Upon Winston recruiting me, I assumed I would return to the army, but now, I'm not so sure…'

'You wish to remain by my side?'

'I-if you would have me, it's something I've considered.'

'My life is anything but a simple one, Fareeha. I would love to give you all my affection and attention, but I have been blessed with intellect beyond a normal human's, and I can do nothing else but offer myself to the people who need me. I would travel to places like Iraq again, and the living conditions would be no better, presumably. It is not a luxurious life. I dare say, even I struggle with the choices I make at times. But when I see the smiling faces of those who would have died otherwise, I know I am where I belong.'

'Angela…'

'I would not blame you, should you decide we are better off going our separate ways.'

'You fool.'

'P-pardon!?'

'You understand that I love you, correct?'

'Well, yes…'

'I did not say those words lightly, do you understand that?'

'I…do…'

'Then I think my answer is clear.'

'You…would come with me?'

'Wherever you go, I wish to be exactly by your side. That is my truth, because you have become my world.'

'Perhaps two minutes, Dr. Ziegler. Simon has always been a little fragile, so we may have lost him already. He's gone rather quiet, hasn't he?'

She reached and gripped at the side of Simon's table. Angela grit her teeth as she pulled herself up and shakily extended a hand to the unconscious agent. His stomach was a mess; much like Angela's had been. She closed her eyes and focused, allowing the power she wielded to flow through her and into the suffering man before her.

'Oh, my God…' Moira uttered, absolute disbelief in her voice, for once. 'You monster, Dr. Ziegler. You complete and perfect ethereal devil!'

'Leave me, Angie…'

'Never! Never! Take my hand!'

'Even if I did, I'd bleed out before we took two steps. Heh…'

'N-no…'

'It's okay. Really. You're alive. I feel a bit better knowing that.'

'Please…!'

'Live a full life, Angie. Don't forget me. Be happy. That's all I ask.'

'I-I can't. Not without you…!'

'Sister's orders. You cannot deny them.'

'I…I…'

'Don't cry. Please don't cry.'

'…'

Angela was on her own table anew, strapped in and thirsty. How long had she been out? Where was she again? Why did her body hurt so? What about Simon? Right. She was in Moira's care.

'Finally.' The woman mumbled, tapping at her computer before standing and moving toward Angela. 'To think you would digress this much since I saw you in action last. Truly a pity.'

'Sorry…to disappoint you…' Angela managed, finding some satisfaction in the way the other doctor's eye twitched.

'Still have the energy to oppose me, evidently? Well, no matter. The experiments are over. I don't desire to waste any more time. Thank-you for your co-operation.'

'Solved the mysteries…of all my research, have you?'

'Admittedly, it is all not completely clear, but I suspect I merely require my proper workspace and subjects to practise numerous theories on before I replicate something of your life's work.'

'Congratulations…' Angela breathed coarsely.

'You don't believe I can do it?'

'I…never said that.'

'You implied it with your tone.'

'Defensive, aren't we? You…you realize that shows a lack of confidence. How unlike you.'

'Hmph.' Moira snickered to herself. 'Fareeha Amari.' She started suddenly, and now Angela's heart hurt alongside everything else. 'You continuously uttered her name when you fell unconscious. I'm curious as to why, although I can make an educated deduction despite my preconceived notions concerning where you stood relationally.'

'A bright…new addition to Overwatch.'

'A lover?' Moira almost cut Angela off, and the injured doctor tried to grin.

'Another…prospect of my life you will never replicate, yes.' There was no point in hiding it anymore if Angela spoke of her while unconscious.

'How sad.' Moira received the blow with some grace, although she equipped herself with her lethal toy once more. 'She just reached a new level of intrigue for me. Perhaps I'll place priority on her capture next in order to tinker with the data you've graciously provided for me today. How is her pain tolerance?'

Angela clamped her mouth tight, her eyes burning.

'Oh? A nerve at last.' Moira stepped lightly around Angela, now standing right next to her, her lean, snake-like features distorted as she gazed down upon her. 'And you are correct, Dr. Ziegler. I've never once taken a lover. Do you know why?'

Angela looked away, but her chin was roughly vice-gripped, forcing her to meet Moira's slits for eyes.

'Because one's emotions make one nothing but vulnerable.'

The cold mechanism rested square on Angela's head then, and she blinked, true panic striking her suddenly, for this drastic step certainly wasn't in her presumed calculations. She couldn't revive herself. Her nanomachines weren't developed enough to…to…!

Fareeha. Fareeha. Fareeha.

'Mm. You didn't suspect me to go this far, Dr. Ziegler? Well, you were never very good at reading others. We all have our weaknesses. Unfortunately for you, I have no limits when it comes to my path of science. Gabriel is proof of that. I'm proof of that. How powerful are those funny little machines infesting your body? Can they repair a brain? I do believe it's time to find out…'

Fareeha. Fareeha. Fareeha!

'Save…me…!'

'Your hand is so warm.'

'As is yours, Angela.'

'Your fingers are a little rough though.'

'Ah. A product of all my training.'

'Heh. It's quite attractive.'

'You think?'

'I do.'

'Then I am thankful for the work the Egyptian army put me through.'

'I like how strong you are.'

'I love how intelligent you are.'

'I admire your selflessness.'

'I adore your desire to help others.'

'Your skin is gorgeous.'

'Heheh. Your eyes mesmerize me.'

'I can't appreciate your smile enough.'

'Oh, I feel the same, Angela. There. You have slight dimples in your cheeks. Too adorable.'

'Hahah! You noticed?'

'How could I not?'

'…Fareeha?'

'Hm?'

'Don't let go.'

'I won't.'

'Don't let go of me, Fareeha.'

'Angela?'

'…'

'Angela…?'

'…'

'Angela…!'