Chapter 4: Chronal Vertigo

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Bolondka: I made the decision to use a time skip because I figured that most of the readers would not want to gruel through several chapters of lab study. There is only so much development you can have between two isolated characters, so I decided it was best to give a few "one shots" of your time with Lena. On the second comment, I made a note in a previous chapter that not all of the science would line up when chronal dissociation was a central topic point. In storytelling, it is not uncommon that writers use a literary device that may fall out of the scope of realism. I am sorry that I could not come up with a more realistic version of chronal dissociation, but I hope that you can suspend your disbelieve and that it will not deter your immersion.

The magenta supernova caused by the overload continued to hinder your vision, but you began to regain your bearings. Although you were still dazed from the explosion, you managed to reach out toward the hand that you could only assume belonged to Winston. In the first time in nearly 5 months, you felt the touch of a sentient being other than Lena Oxton.

The thought crossed your mind, and immediately you remembered the brunette and worried. You looked directly to your left and saw Lena on her knees, leaning on a doctor with short blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders. Despite the short length, the doctor's hair partially covered one of her eyes that were sharply traced in black liner. She wore a blue lab coat similar to the other members of the science team, but she had a red band wrapped around her left arm which, you assumed, signified that she was a part of the leadership.

The doctor looked down on her with the softest pair of blue eyes that you had ever seen. She swept one arm behind the brunette's back, bringing her in close. She had already ensured that Lena's vitals were strong, and now she was comforting her physically and emotionally.

"I've got you," the doctor said in a distinctive Swiss German accent.

Lena's amber brown eyes met with the doctor's pale blue orbs. The shock was prevalent on the pilot's face, and she was still taken aback by the fact that she could once again be seen and touched by anyone other than you.

Lena could not maintain eye contact with the Swiss doctor. "I… I'm sorry it's just a lot to process, doc," she stammered as she began to use the blonde as a prop to pull herself off the floor. The doctor took the hint and stood up to better assist Lena off the ground; fully erect, she was significantly taller than the Brit.

The doctor motioned to the bed on the opposite side of the room, "Take a moment to relax and process. Nothing need be rushed." The blonde had a smile that rivaled Lena's, but hers was more comforting than alluring, in your opinion. Although she could not have been more than a few years older than you or Lena, she gave off a motherly aura. Indeed, she was beautiful, but her beauty was overshadowed by her maternal nature.

Lena followed the doctor's order, and you slowly followed Lena's lead. Once on the bed, the two of you shared a moment of eye contact before directing your attention back to the doctor.

The doctor delicately extended her hand in your direction; you quickly, but carefully, took her invitation. "Hello there. My name is Angela Ziegler, and I am Overwatch's head of medical research. I have been observing the two of you from behind the glass for months now."

You let out a soft chuckle that came out as more of a forced exhale. "Observing ghosts must have been riveting. I think I would have thrown in the towel after a week," you commented with heavy sarcasm.

"You'd be surprised," she countered with a raise of her perfectly plucked eyebrow. "We were able to learn a lot about your condition during the brief glimpses we caught of you two 'ghosts'."

Both you and Lena knew very little of the condition, and Angela knew any attempt of an in-depth explanation would be beyond your comprehension. She had to keep her synopsis simple.

The Swiss doctor directed her eyes to the ceiling, trying to think of the best way to convey her thoughts to the two of you. "As you know, the Slipstream malfunction desynchronized your molecules from our timeline. To make matters even more difficult, your molecules were also desynchronized from each other; some of your molecules were at different points in the past, and some were at different points in the future. Through our observations, we were able to pinpoint an 'average' timeline of your molecules."

"With that average, we determined the amount of power needed in the Chronal Accelerators to anchor the two of you in time. We also determined how to concentrate that power to align your molecules in to the correct 'time stamp.' Now here we are," the gorilla scientist commented as he joined the three of you near the bed.

Neither you nor Lena had words for the two geniuses that stood before you. Although the two of you did not fully understand chronal dissociation, you had an idea of how much work was required to reverse the condition. The two of you watched the science team for months, and their dedication to remedying the condition was unparalleled.

Winston coughed into his right elbow, clearing his throat. "However, it is not all butterflies and rainbows. Unfortunately, your molecules will never be truly synchronized again on their own, which means that the two of you will rely on the Chronal Accelerators from now to the end."

Feeling the tension caused by the gorilla's news, Angela did her best to restore a sense of hope in the room. "You will not have to keep them on your person at all times. Now that the Chronal Accelerators are synced to you, you should be able to take them off, given that you stay within a reasonable 5 to 10-meter radius of your own device."

Lena perked up upon hearing the doctor's words. "Great because this thing is bloody heavy, and it's killing my back," she said as her hands fiddled with the straps that were digging into her spine. After several moments of repositioning and fumbling, the accelerator fell from her chest onto the metal floor with a clunk.

You looked at her in shock, and a pit developed in your stomach as you feared for the girl's safety. "Careful, Oxton. You want to go back into the ether?"

Winston and Angela chuckled in unison at the display. "Don't worry (Your Name), the accelerators were made to withstand much more than that. They can even stop a speeding bullet," Angela commented with a slight curl on her lips.

Meant to stop a speeding bullet. You pondered the doctor's words for a moment. Why would the science team dedicate resources into making the devices so well protected? Unless…

"I am assuming that this is not our final chapter at Overwatch," you said as you turned to face the two scientists before you.

The conclusion was lost on Lena. "What? Why do you say that, (Your Name)?"

"Why else would they over-fortify the Chronal Accelerators? They intend to bring us on as field agents."

Lena scrunched her face in thought and turned away from you toward the scientists, looking for an answer. You could not determine whether or not she wanted your assumption to be true or false. Honestly, you could not even tell what you wanted the answer to be.

The question caught both Angela and Winston off guard. Their usual confidence deflated from them, and their eyes had trouble settling on a target. Angela's milk skin developed a slight hue of pink, and Winston took a moment to take off his glasses and rub his eyes.

The gorilla placed his undersized spectacles back onto his face and said, "Astute observation, (Your Name). Be sure to thank Dr. Ziegler for the clue. Yes, that is Overwatch's intention. Angela and I both voiced our opposition, but upper leadership calls the shots, not the research division."

You looked down at your hands, and then you looked over to Lena. The brunette's expression had not changed since you last laid eyes on her; she was still very deep in thought. Perhaps she was attempting to determine how to react to the revelation.

Lena stood from the bed and picked up her accelerator by the strap. Although she was unsure of the future, she did her best to maintain her usual persona. "Well, where do we go from here?"

"Well first we will all get some much-needed rest, but be prepared for a physical once you wake. Immediately after Dr. Ziegler conducts a thorough medical examination on the two of you, you are to report to the War Room, room 700 in the command center, to brief with leadership," the gorilla scientist answered with a sigh. "It is worth mentioning that the primary reason that the leadership is transitioning you to the field is that your Chronal Accelerators enable the both of you to control your own time locally. By that I mean either of you can speed up or slow down your own time at will, similar to the Slipstream. Of course, it will take training to master the technique, but that will be addressed at a later time."

Winston's final comments puzzled you and Lena, but he began walking out of the chamber before you could ask a question. Noticing the expression present on both of your faces, Angela stepped forward.

"Do not worry, everything will be explained soon. Get some rest. Once you wake, we will get started on the examination, hmm?"

Angela was thorough in her examinations. She checked physical trauma, psychological state, and everything in between. The tests took multiple hours to complete, and you wanted to be anywhere else other than a laboratory.

The Swiss doctor wiped her hands against each other before crossing her arms. "All done, and it's only 18:00. The two of you may proceed to the command center. Strike Commander Morrison, Captain Amari, and Blackwatch Commander Reyes await you," she said before sighing in relief. After all, she had been working diligently for several hours.

"Thanks, doc. See you around," Lena said as she grabbed your hand and sprung off the table, brining you along for the ride. Even after spending an ungodly amount of time on a lab table, Lena was lively as ever. So lively in fact, she dragged you out of the lab before you could give a word of thanks to the Swede.

You snatched your hand away from the young pilot. "Jesus fuck, Lena. You almost tore my arm off. After all that time we spent in there you couldn't give me an extra second to thank her?" You rubbed and rotated your shoulder, milking the injury like a football player.

The brunette's stare burned through your eye sockets. She gave you a frown and a vigorous, nasal exhale that matched her impatient body language. "I couldn't take one more fucking second in that room. Who does she think she is? Holding us there for hours asking as useless tidbits of information?" Lena folded her hands on top of each other and held them up to her chin, mimicking Angela. "On a scale of 1-10, how is your pain? On a scale of 1-10, how fatigued are you? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate my rack, (Your Name)?" You had to admit, Lena had an excellent Swiss German impersonation.

Although you had a smirk on your face, you thought Lena was going a little over the top. "Oh settle down with the jealousy, Lena. Don't you think you're overreacting a tad? We are out. It's done. Let's go," you grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out onto the exposed catwalk in the same manner she tugged you out of the laboratory.

You were not prepared for the brisk wind that welcomed you outside of the research building. The warm weather of summer had been replaced by the shockingly chill air of the bleak midwinter. The sudden thermal transition caused you to reel back and physically hold yourself in a tight hug to maintain body heat.

"I thought we were in Gibraltar," you said through chattering teeth. You looked up at the grey sky that covered the ever-radiant Gibraltar sun. "Are you sure we came back to the right timeline?"

The Brit nudged close to you in a desperate attempt to hide herself from the uninviting wind. "Being from London and all, I am used to the grey, but this cold is throwing me off, love," Lena said as she crept closer to you. You wrapped one arm around her shoulder, which began a mutualistic relationship of heat transfer. Perhaps even Gibraltar had inclement weather.

Perhaps you needed an excuse to touch each other.

With the help of Athena, you and Lena navigated to the command center through the catwalks with great haste, eager to escape the chill. Finally, the two of you arrived in front of a large circular building that appeared more like a space ship than it did a command hub. Unlike every other building on the military campus, the command center did not uphold the archetypal Overwatch color scheme. Instead, the building incorporated a white carbon fiber frame that outline large sections of heavy black steel, leaving very little room for windows. Although the building was not the most beautiful in Gibraltar, there was no doubt that it was the most fortified.

You and Lena entered the command center and followed the instructions of directories to room 700. The room made up the entirety of the top floor of the command center. The ceiling overhead was made of entirely glass, but a carbon fiber shield stood ready to cover the weak point at a moment's notice. Normally, the glass would provide a beautiful view of the setting sun, but that picture was replaced by a soft drizzle of rain that had just begun. Echoes of water droplets filled the confines of the War Room, only to be drowned by the sound of the Slipstream team's footsteps.

Captain Ana Amari acknowledged your presence first. "Well if it isn't our dynamic duo, back from the clutches of time. How are you feeling?" The Egyptian broke away from the two other officers and made her way toward you and Lena. As usual, she was wearing her blue officer uniform, but she was not wearing her beret. Instead, her hair was free flowing, and it covered most of her right eye, which accentuated the tattoo under her left one.

Both Gabriel and Jack redirected their attention away from the image that was project on the meeting table, which the room was centered around. Although they were both internally relieved to see you and Lena, they did not let their true emotions leak through their stoic personas.

Lena walked ahead toward Ana with a clearly exasperated expression and said, "Actually, I am pretty brassed off, Capt. We have been held against our will by one Angela Ziegler for the past… I don't know… million hours?" Before the others could respond, Lena pointed down to her Chronal Accelerator. "And this bloody doohickey is a real…"

You stepped in and grabbed Lena by the side before she could finish her sentence.

All three officers had different reactions to Lena's outburst. Ana reacted with a sideways frown, indicating that she had sympathy for the Brit. Gabriel could not help but giggle at her ridiculous venting, and Jack managed to maintain an air of professionalism.

"We understand your anger, we expected it, but we are happy that the project was a success," Ana said as she approached you and Lena, a smile once again returning to her face.

Lena broke away from your grip. "Yeah, yeah. We get it already. The jig is up; (Your Name) figured it out. You didn't bring us back from the clutches of time to save us, you did it to use us."

Your eyes widened and you grabbed the Brit once again, "Lena!"

Ana was taken aback by her words, despite their veracity.

Gabriel's smirk vanished and he furrowed his brow. "Tap the breaks, kid. We brought you back because you're an Overwatch agent. We do not leave our kind behind," he said pushing away from the command table. "Let me say it again, you're an Overwatch agent. We are not using you, we are returning you back to duty, new and improved."

The smugness of Gabriel's remark scratched at your sides. "What in the hell is that supposed to mean? New and improved. Is that some kind of joke?" You stepped up and matched the Blackwatch commander eye for eye, brow for brow, snarl for snarl.

Jack stepped between you and Gabriel, forcing his fellow officer back toward the command table. "Now is not the time for a dick measuring competition."

Gabriel turned back toward the projected image on the table. "No doubt who would win that."

"Your edginess isn't hiding your insecurity too well," you spat over Jack's shoulder.

Jack shoved you back toward Lena. "May I remind you that he is your XO." He gave a darting stare back at the Blackwatch commander. "You answer to him, despite his childish antics."

Ana walked up to you from behind and put a hand on your shoulder. "Let it be. We must discuss your new roles."

You looked down and exhaled deeply, venting your rage. You then shifted your attention over your shoulder, making eye contact with the Egyptian. "Well then, let's discuss."

You motioned to Lena, beckoning her to follow you to the opposite side of the center table so that you could take a seat.

Jack walked to the head of the table and flipped a switch underneath. The projected image faded into nothingness, leaving an empty, silver tabletop behind. He put both hands on the table and said, "As Commander Reyes said, you two are Overwatch agents, and we intend on keeping things that way. We invested a vast amount of resources to bring you back, so we expect a high level of effort from you."

You shifted in your seat. "Hold on. The only reason we needed to be brought back was because of Overwatch. We are not indebted to you."

Jack's face did not budge. "You're right, but need I remind you that you're a soldier? You swore to serve. You took an oath the moment you set foot in Gibraltar. You have not yet been relieved of your duty."

Gaining confidence vicariously through you, Lena added, "We are pilots. We never swore to serve as field agents. (Your Name) and I do not have the proper training."

"That will be taken care of. Over the next few weeks, the two of you will enter a crash-course training routine. You will train with our most prolific agents, and you will learn to utilize your newfound time control abilities with Dr. Ziegler and Dr. Winston," Ana said as she took a seat beside Jack.

Reyes smirked smugly once again. "So what do you say team, are you in?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Your eyes shot bullets back at the Blackwatch commander. "As if we had a choice."

Lena backed up your glare onto Gabriel and asked, "What now, team?"

Jack took a long sigh and looked down at the table. He was visibly annoyed by Gabriel's antagonizing. "You are to report to Training Cell 3 at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Dismissed."

You arrived back to your dorm alone at 21:00, eager to sleep in a real bed for the first time in months. During your time in the laboratory cell, you had forgotten the near perfect amenities that graced your apartment, but you had not forgotten the heavenly bed.

After completing your nightly routine, you crawled under your sheets and sighed. Even though the mattress was leagues ahead of the cot you had been given in the lab chamber, you felt that something was missing. It had been months since you had been separated from the bubbly Brit, and you could not recall the last time you had slept alone. It was irrational, but you found yourself wishing that you were still stuck in time with Lena. You longed for the world that you shared in solitude.

Suddenly, a bright red light began flashing periodically from your wrist device that you placed on the night stand beside your bed, indicating that Athena had a message. Although you were exhausted, you prompted Athena to deliver the message. "What is it, Athena?"

"Mr. (Your Last Name), you have a visitor waiting. Lena Oxton is requesting access to your room."

The sound of her name made you perk up and jump out of bed. "Let her in," you said over your shoulder as your leaned over the mezzanine's guard rail.

The front door slid open to reveal Lena with hair as disorganized as ever. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt that sported a British rock band that had fallen out of their prime generations ago. Lena cautiously entered the apartment as the lights slowly undimmed. Her eyes darted from side to side, looking for you, but you were too well hidden.

You were so engrossed by her that you could not come up with anything to say. You decided to keep it simple and broke the silence with, "Is everything alright, Lena?"

The Brit jumped at the sound of your voice, but she was visibly relieved when she laid her eyes on you. "I… I can't sleep. It has just been so long since I've slept alone you know? Plus, it's raining heavily now, and there is thunder, and it's kinda dark, and…"

"Lena, you don't need an excuse. You're more than welcome to stay here," you said through a tired smile.

She went red and looked down at her feet before reestablishing eye contact. "I… Thank you, (Your Name)," she said with a sheepish smile before making her way up the winding staircase up to your exposed bedroom. "I'll be good, I promise."

You rolled your eyes at her statement. "Let's just get some sleep, I am exhausted."

"I am right there with you, love," the brunette said with a yawn.

You crashed face first into the mattress, and Lena followed your lead. She scurried under the Down comforter, lifting it up for you to join her, and you obliged.

Just when sleep was about to overcome you, you felt a cold foreign object touch your hand from under the sheets. It was Lena's palm. At first, you thought that she had accidentally invaded onto your side of the bed. Indeed, Lena was a "hog" when it came to bed space, but this was no accident.

Her hand lingered on yours for moments at a time, but each time she would quickly retreat away to the safety of her half of the bed. Finally, she pressed her fingers against your closed fist, begging for reciprocation.

Again, you obliged. You accepted Lena's cold grip, your warm hand provided a rigid dichotomy to her icy one. Her fingers danced around the palm of your hand before finding the ideal position to intertwine with your digits.

Everything around you slowed down, and the whole day washed away in the blink of an eye. Despite being wronged by the world for the past six months, this moment balanced the scale.

Notes:

I know I am taking forever to update, but things are hectic right now. Rest assured, I plan on completing this story. However, I do not know how often I will be able to update. At a minimum, I will try to do 1 chapter every 3 weeks; hopefully I will be able to push a chapter out every other week. That's all for now, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I will see you next time!