Enraptured in Ice Ch. 3
AN: Here's Ch. 3 everyone. I've been really enjoying working on this story. I'm really glad to hear from you all that you enjoy the story. I'll admit, I was very surprised (and frustrated) that fanfiction didn't set up tags for Mei, but they have them for super minor characters like Katya. Needless to say, I will be continuing this story, so be sure to stay tuned. If you want to play with me, my PS4 ID is on my author profile, so feel free to send me a message or add me online. Thanks again for all your support. -Kiba
Tracer sighed, resting her head against the cool porcelain wall of the shower. As the warm water flowed over her body, it created a strange tingling sensation. This was always the case when she wasn't wearing her harness. While she was still anchored to the present, her body could never tell what was real and what was not. In that sense, she both felt the water and yet, she did not.
Washing her hair, she could vaguely hear the murmurs of Mei and Dan in the other room. "I can't believe this. It's like she's trying to make him have a crush on her," she muttered to herself. "I mean, how in the hell can she make the ugliest thing I could find look sexy? How is that even a thing?!" Another question burned in the back of her mind, one that she refused to address. What if she did have feelings for Dan?
So she silenced it, repeating to herself over and over again that she was protecting Dan. That's what was important: making sure that Danny wasn't heart broken. So what if she grew up on stories of the amazing adventurer. That didn't change where her loyalties lay.
There was some respite for her however. The fact that Dan didn't seem to hold any ill will against her proved that he at least had some recognition that what she was doing was for his own good. If anything, Tracer considered this nothing more than an extra obstacle to make the challenge more interesting.
It was then that another thought occurred to her. Maybe I haven't built enough of a raport with Dan. He may not trust my advice on this particular matter because we've never discussed his relationship status before. Confidant that she'd found the key to the problem, she finished rinsing the lather from her body, before turning the water off and emerging from the shower. Drying herself with a towel, she contentedly changed into her slumber wear and slipped her harness on over it.
It was difficult getting used to at first. She'd requested before that Winston make it a little less bulky, but in the end she was grateful. The feeling of not existing at a given point in time was one that was pure torture. Many times, she'd appear and disappear in a blink, unable to even call for help before the universe whisked her off again. That was something that she struggled to share with anyone, even Dan.
The real reason for her cheerfulness was because everything else compared to her fleeting existence felt like a paradise. Tracer had many regrets in her life and she refused to let this become one of them.
Walking out, she froze, completely stunned to find Mei asleep on the other side of a slumbering Dan. She could have chosen any other cot and she picked the one next to him? Was she trying to tease the poor boy or did she simply not know? Whatever the case, Tracer zipped silently past them to her bed before snuggling beneath her sheets.
Everything was changing again and if there was one thing Tracer struggled with more than anything, it was sudden and unnecessary change.
The next morning came early as Dan's eyes opened to the sound of metal and machinery. Had Mei already begun work without him? Yawning, he slipped out of bed and made his way to the showers. In doing so, he passed by the lab to find that Mei was indeed tinkering with something, though it wasn't the equipment they'd brought in yesterday. "Mei? What's wrong?" Dan asked sleepily.
"Hmm? Oh, good morning Dan. I woke up early and you looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you. Would you like some tea?" Looking around her, he realized that the device she was struggling with was actually a hot plate of some sort. Sitting on top of it was a ornate cast iron pot that he could only assume contained water. "Oh, I forgot. You're American, so you probably prefer coffee, right? I don't know if we have any in the supplies but I can check."
"Oh, no. Teas' fine," he assured her. "You don't need to go through the extra effort for me. Besides, I'm going to take a shower anyway before we work, so if you don't have any left by the time I'm done, don't worry about it, okay?"
"Sure thing," she smiled, watching him disappear through the doorway. Soon, the kettle began to whistle, so she took the teapot and poured herself a cup. As the bittersweet scent of oolong wafted up to her nose, she smiled. It reminded of her of home.
"Something smells nice," Tracer called from the doorway, stirred from her sleep by the sound. "Good morning, Mei. Don't suppose you could spare a cup for me?"
"Not a problem," she beamed, pouring a second cup and handing it carefully to the young woman. "I'm actually glad I get to talk to you. I know we didn't have much chance to chat yesterday with all that was going on."
"With me?" Tracer asked in surprise. "Why so?"
"I just wanted to thank you. You've always been such an inspiration to me. You took a huge risk for the sake of Overwatch and now look at you. You're so amazing, I can't help but to be impressed."
For a moment, she was stupefied. "I inspired you? That's a laugh. If anything, you're the hero here, not me. I've read your journal cover to cover multiple times. I wouldn't have even considered joining Overwatch if not for your bravery and courage. I thought to myself, 'there' a woman who faces danger every day. I can't stand idly by while humanity very well may be destroyed.' Truth be told, I can't compare myself to you, Mei. You're saving the world! I'm just in it for the adventure really."
"Would you like to know a secret?" Mei asked, causing Tracer's heart to race. The thoughts in the back of her mind rocketed to the forefront as she nervously nodded he head, leaning in to listen. "That's how it always starts."
Tracer let out a subtle breath of relief. "Really?"
"I didn't set out to save the world," Mei explained, "I wanted to see it for myself. I explored and found beautiful waterfalls and gigantic mountains that scraped the clouds. I wanted to see it all."
"Then what happened?"
A sheepish smile came to her face. "I guess you could say I grew up. I realized that the world wasn't just my own. I met all sorts of people. Some have never stepped foot outside of the city they lived in. Things began to get worse with climates and every day more of the world was being destroyed by storms and industry. I realized that it wasn't as important for me to see the world as it would be to ensure that everyone else could have the chance to see it."
"Between you and I, what is it that is making the sky go so bonkers anyway? It's a right mess, honestly. That's why you were in the Arctic in the first place, right?"
Mei suddenly became a bit more quiet as she stared disappointedly into her cup of tea. Tracer immediately felt a pang of guilt in her chest and as she opened her mouth to apologize, the climatologist spoke. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "While we were there, we didn't find much in the way of clues. We found a strange signal that we couldn't locate, but before we could analyze it, the storm set it in. I tried to send it to Athena, but just as I was being frozen in the cryopod, the roof caved in on the computer and...and…" she sniffled as for the first time since she had awoke the tears simply began to pour down her cheeks.
"Mei?"
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, covering her eyes with her hand. "I hate that all of those men and women, they died. They sacrificed themselves to find a way to save the planet and in the end, their deaths amounted to nothing. I can't...I'm just…" she struggled to find the words she wanted to say. "It should have been me. They should have survived and I should have been the one who died. Instead, nineteen families are now missing loved ones and I have nothing to show for it."
"What a bunch of bollocks!" Tracer retorted, causing Mei to look up at her in surprise. "You're Mei Ling Zhou! You've made more contributions to our world than a lot of politicians have! Those men and women followed you all the way to Antarctica, and I promise it wasn't because they thought you were going to keep them safe! It's because they wanted to help you do something amazing. I can only imagine each and every one of them was prepared to give up their life on your behalf, simply because they believed in you. You're the real hero, Mei, and sometimes the hero doesn't win. Every now and then, we have to get back up, dust ourselves off, and go another round before showing them what-for. You and I, we're the cavalry, love. We're expected to carry on, even in times of stress and strife. That's why you chose to stick around, isn't it?"
"I guess you have a point," she murmured.
"Of course I do! If you still don't believe me, I promise you, anyone would tell you the same thing. There's a whole slew of people rooting for you, Mei. Don't let them down by beating yourself up. We have a saying in England: Keep Calm and Carry On."
"Wasn't that a thing on the internet at the beginning of century?" Dan asked, joining in on the conversation after having changed and dried off.
"Almost everything was at some point," Tracer shrugged. "But to answer your question, no. It came from back when we were in the 2nd World War. Germany would have constant bombings and raids but we'd have slews of people dying from panic alone. So the government decided to put up posters that read 'Keep Calm and Carry On' in hopes that they'd be able to more calmly get to a shelter."
"Interesting. So," Dan clapped his hands, "are you ready to get to work, Mei?"
"I believe that's my line," she giggled.
Dan paused as he noticed the red blotchiness of her eyes. Turning towards Tracer, he shot her a glare, but she simply mouthed that they could talk about it later. "I'll let you guys get to work. I'm not much of a scientist I'm afraid. Though if you don't mind so much, Mei, I'd like to steal Dan from you later this afternoon. I was hoping to take him to the range for some practice."
"That's fine," Mei answered.
"What? Why? I don't want to go to the shooting range."
"Because after all that's been going on lately, we need all hands on deck. That includes you, mister," Tracer huffed.
"She's right, Dan," his boss chimed in. "Learning to shoot is definitely a good thing. In emergency situations like yesterday, imagine if I hadn't been able to fight. It's not just about protecting yourself either. This ensures that you don't hit your friends instead of your enemies."
"Oh," he murmured. "I suppose that makes sense. I'll do it."
Tracer was shocked he'd agreed so quickly. Was it simply because Mei asked him to? She'd have to test that theory later, but it was possible that this crush may have its own advantages. "Excellent, I'll pick you up around four o'clock. I'll leave you to your sciency things then. If you need me, I'll be bothering Winston." Grinning, she zipped out of the lab, pausing at the door to take one last look at the two before heading on her way.
"She's so silly sometimes," Mei commented.
"Yeah, that's a pretty good word to describe her. I don't think she ever stops moving. Not even in her sleep. I'm sorry if she said something that upset you. Her mouth sometimes outruns her head."
"Actually, we had a very nice conversation. She was very helpful."
"Oh, well that's good then," he replied sheepishly. "How do we start?" Dan asked, reaching for one of the pieces of tech they'd collected.
"Not so fast. First, you'll have to learn the science of weather."
"I know quite a bit already," he bragged. "The sun evaporates water, water forms into clouds through condensation. When enough condenses, it precipitates, right?"
"That's a very simplified version of the water cycle, yes," she commented, "but there's ton of more things about the weather you'll need to know. First off, where does weather occur?"
"The...sky?"
That seemed to greatly tickle Mei as she covered her mouth to hide a snicker. "Okay, we'll start there. Our atmosphere, or what's left of it, has multiple layers. Weather occurs in the first layer, the troposphere. In the troposphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. That's why the tops of mountains are typically covered in snow, even in the middle of summer."
"I did know that the part about the snow, but it's always confused me. If we're closer to the sun, shouldn't it be warmer, not colder?"
"That's a very good point. But the truth is that where we are relative to the sun isn't what solely judges the seasons. Rather it's the tilt of Earth's axis. This is why at certain points of the year, it can be summer in one place but winter in another."
"Really?" he asked in surprise.
"Well, in a sense. Typically, different parts of the world have different names for seasons as they're separated by different categories. For example, did you live on the coast in America?"
"Yes."
"You had 'Hurricane' seasons, right? Well in other places, they call this the wet season or the monsoon season. Some areas of the world even have two wet seasons and two dry seasons."
"So during wet seasons does it snow in colder places?"
"Great question," she beamed, causing him to smile sheepishly. "The answer is 'kind of'. I know that's not as clear cut or scientific as you may hope for. The truth is its mostly tropical places that have wet or dry seasons, rather than the four that are typically used: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Scientifically speaking, they're called Vernal, Estival, Autumnal, and Hibernal."
"You sure do know a lot about weather," he commented in awe.
"Well, I am a climatologist. Though, there are other scientists that study the weather as well. You may have heard the title 'meteorologist'. They too study weather patterns, but a bit differently. As a climatologist, I study the patterns of weather in certain areas over time as an average. Meteorologist make it more of a study in the atmosphere and studying weather patterns as they develop. Both are similar in their own ways, but at the same time, they're also very different fields of study. Are you still with me so far?"
"Yes. So you study the effects of weather over time in certain places. So why is it you were in Antarctica? I imagine the weather there is typically just 'snowy'. It doesn't really change much, does it?"
"Actually, you would be wrong," she giggled. "What if I told you that it doesn't have to snowing for there to be a blizzard?" Dan bit his tongue from blurting out something stupid in front of her, but she just smiled. "Don't worry. Most people have that misconception. Actually, a blizzard can occur simply because of heavy winds that pick up snow and hurl it around. Think like a sandstorm. Sand doesn't actually fall from the sky, but none the less it can make storms. Snow is the same way. When snow is falling and it's at least two inches, we call it a snowstorm. If the winds are more than 35 miles per hour or 56 kilometers per hour, we call it a blizzard. If the same wind conditions occur, but it picks up snow from the ground, we call it the incredibly creative name of a ground blizzard. But to answer your question, we were there to study a strange phenomenon that was occurring. It had been snowing for nearly a month in the Arctic before we arrived and it snowed up until I went into cryostasis and the roof caved in."
"Snowing is odd in the Arctic?"
"Incredibly so, actually. Though in truth, calling it the 'arctic' is a misnomer since I was in Antarctica and not the Arctic circle. In Antarctica, it's actually a desert."
"Bullshit."
"It is indeed. Though I imagine when I say 'desert' you think of sands and intense heat. Technically, a desert is any place that gets below an average of 10 inches or 250 millimeters of precipitation in a year. Antarctica on average only gets about 8 inches around the outside and even less than that in the center. It has high winds though, so the snow blowing around makes it look like it's always snowing. So to make a comparison, it'd be as if it started raining out of the blue in the middle of the Sahara."
"I must admit, your knowledge is really intimidating. I'm so worried I'm going to say something stupid now, I may just stay silent for the rest of today. You'd probably enjoy that though."
"Don't be silly," she laughed. "I'm not expecting you to know most of this stuff. Remember, I've been studying this for years. Anyway, we still don't know what was causing the snow, but in order to be able to even survive, we had to find a way to manipulate the climate to protect ourselves while also ensuring we didn't damage the ecosystem around us. Primarily, the penguins."
"Which is what we're working on today, right? We're making the machine you used to manipulate the climate."
"Exactly! That being said, I'll kind of explain some things as we go, but you know the basics now and that's what's important. If you don't mind, please hand me that acoustic stabilizer and a 2.5 millimeter allen wrench."
Fetching the items she needed, he watched in awe as she zoned in on her work. He was surprised by how quickly she seemed to move and think. To be honest, he felt like he was doing very little for her. Most of the things he would do were welding jobs to patch cracks in certain components or finding hardware for old stripped screws.
Again, the realization struck him of just how amazing Mei really was, and he couldn't help but be smitten, not only by her body but her intellect as well. She'd explain each component and its use, and Dan quickly committed every word to memory. He hung on to her every breath.
Which is why he was confused when she suddenly stopped before turning back towards him with a grin. "Well, we should probably break for lunch now."
"What? But it's only been…" Glancing down at his watch he was stunned to find that it was already almost noon. "We've been working for four hours already?"
"It's amazing how fast time goes when you're having fun, isn't it?" Standing up, she offered him her hand. "Would you mind showing me some places to eat around here? I'm afraid I haven't actually been to Gibraltar much, even before I was frozen."
"Gladly. I'll take you to one of my favorite places to eat. Besides, you'll get sick of bananas and peanut butter really quick when that's all that you eat." With the island itself being so small, the two of them decided to walk rather than drive. Not to mention that it was difficult getting in and out of Watchpoint as it was without being seen. This was easier, they decided. "I hope you don't mind steak. I'm afraid it's a rather big deal here. Or if not, I know they have seafood."
Linking her arm with his, she considered it thoughtfully for a moment, unable to notice the look of pure bliss on his face. "Hmmm...I know, I'll let you order for both of us. I'll have whatever you're having."
"Okay. I typically get steak, medium well, about 170 grams."
"That may be a bit small for me," she replied. "I'll probably get one size up. It's a bit more expensive but…" she froze. "Oh God, I forgot. I don't have any money. I doubt Overwatch has been paying my salary for the last five years, especially after shutting down."
Dan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'll cover you, okay? My treat. We'll call it a 'Welcome Back' celebration."
She nodded shyly. "Thank you," she whispered. "You've been so kind to me. I'm really sorry, I know that I can be a drag sometimes. I'm sure you were bored to tears listening to me go on and on about the weather."
"Of course not! I actually found what you said to be very interesting. I'm curious as to how this device of yours works. Does it just…" he paused, trying to come up with some idea. "I've got nothing that makes any scientific sense."
"It alters pressure," she grinned. "Using pressure, we can create whatever kind of effects we'd like from the weather. It was something I came up with when I was listening to one of Lucio's albums. The thumping in my head made me think of the way that storms are made. So I invented a device that can use acoustic waves to create pockets of compression or contraction. There's a lot more science involved than that, but basically, depending on how fast or slow we make the vibrations in the air, we can change what sort of weather occurs. That's part of the reason we can't do it all over the world. It's be nearly impossible to make the acoustic waves cover the entire planet, much less create the variations in pressure necessary to create the proper weather without damaging the ecosystem."
"And you invented this thing?"
"Yes. It took me a long time, but I managed to figure it out. It's surprisingly simple once you take the Coriolis Force into effect."
Dan's gaze was wide with awe. "You're so awesome, Mei! I don't think I've ever met someone as smart as you before."
She bashfully, kicked a rock across the ground as we moved along the street. "I'm not that smart," she murmured. "I'm just well-read is all. Anyone could do it if they wanted , I'm sure you're much brighter than I am."
"You're crazy," he laughed.
"You're the first person to ever revive someone out of cryostasis after more than a year. Unless I'm wrong and something has changed."
He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't do much of anything with that anyhow. Athena was the one who gave me all the instructions. I'm just the one whose hands were used. Story of my life really."
Taking a seat in the booth opposite of her, Dan opened up the menu with a smile. "This place is so nice," she commented, her eyes looking around. "It's very romantic." Her dark chocolate eyes gleamed in the flickering candle light as she stared across at him. "S-sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. Sorry."
"It's fine," he assured her. "I'd be lucky to date a girl like you, Mei."
She turned a bright red, shifting in her chair as an awkward silence draped over the table. Dan worried that perhaps he'd been too forward with his comment, but Mei didn't seem upset, simply embarrassed. "So, you typically get the sirloin, right?"
"Y-yeah." Dan was never much for small talk. Even now, he struggled to think of a suitable topic. He couldn't very well discuss the weather. "So...where are you from, originally?"
Seemingly thankful for the change in topic, the climatologist adjusted her glasses. "Well, I was born in Xi'an in China. I lived in Li'jiang for a while, but in truth I don't really find my home as a place but a state of being. I'm sure that sounds strange. It's difficult to explain."
"Not at all, I get it. I mean, I always figure that home is where your friends are, right?"
"I suppose so," she beamed. "It is certainly one way to look at it."
"I've never actually been to Xi'an. What's it like?"
She smiled softly. "Beautiful," she whispered. "At night, the buildings glow like stars. It's always been a city rich in history, and many buildings there were still in tact despite the Omnecs last I visited. One of my favorite places was the Bell Tower."
"A bell tower?"
"I wish I could find words to describe it. It is a massive building and at night, the walls glow as if it were made of gold. Legend says that a long time ago, there was a river that flowed through the middle of the city. In the river there was a mischievous dragon who would constantly thrash about and make trouble. His thrashing was so powerful, it would cause earthquakes and thousands of people would die. The Emperor ordered all of the blacksmiths of the city to craft a massive chain and they bound up the dragon before sinking him in the river. To make sure he would never get out, he built the tower over the river and used it to restrain the dragon. Since then, Xi'an has never suffered another earthquake. Or so the legend says."
"Wow. I may have to see that some time. It does sound magnificent. I'm afraid most legends from where I'm from involve fictional creatures like rabbits with antlers on their head or alligators in the sewers. Nothing anywhere near as interesting."
Propping her chin on her hand, she found that she couldn't stop smiling at him. Curiosity was not a distant feeling for Mei, but even still, it seemed to consume her in regards to her assistant's past. When he spoke, he did so with a gentleness and kindness that she hadn't encountered often. In her experience, this kindness was something that wasn't taught but was grown. She couldn't imagine what sort of adventures he may have had, even if he didn't know of them.
Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a small leather book. Flipping it open, she began to scribble inside of it, causing him to tilt his head confused. "What are you writing?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. This is my journal. Whenever I see or hear something I want to remember, I write it down so I won't ever forget it. I just was writing down what you said about the legends of your home. I've always found that the stories of our past shape us into who we are."
Just as he was about to speak again, a waitress came to take their order. Just as Mei stated, she ordered the same thing as himself, though she did get a slightly bigger steak. They ate in relative silence, though Dan found himself unable to look away from her.
His heart was beating fiercely in his chest and with that a very real fear came to him. One that Tracer had warned him about before, though he tried very hard to lock it away. What if she would never see him in the same light that he saw her? "Is there something on my face?" she asked.
"I didn't mean to stare. Sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Can I ask you a personal question?"
"You saved my life, I think that entitles you to a question or two," she teased. "What did you want to know?"
"The question is going to be strange, and if you don't want to answer it you don't have to. It's just for curiosity's sake."
"You seem nervous. Really, it's fine. Whatever you ask, I won't mind."
He took a deep breath, summoning his courage. "I just wanted to ask...what do you find attractive in a man?"
Immediately, Mei felt flustered by the question. "Umm...I suppose what I ultimately look for is companionship. I'd want someone to go on adventures with me. Someone that I could make memories with that I would cherish forever. He wouldn't have to be anything impressive. I don't care if he's smart or strong or what he'd look like. Just being there would be really more than enough. I'm sorry, I know that's an odd answer. You just kind of caught me off guard. I haven't thought about it often." Dan nodded his head in understanding. He could do that. Be there for her? He already was. He'd do just about anything she'd ask him to. "What about you? What do you look for in a woman? Let me guess," she put a finger to her lips, "I bet you're the kind of guy who likes a partner who is really social and energetic."
He chuckled to himself. "I fear I'm actually not much for socializing. I don't mind it, but...I'm really more shy and timid. It'd be exhausting to be around someone with so much energy. It's the journey, not the destination, right? I'd want someone who could appreciate that journey. I'd want her to be smart and passionate about what she believes in."
"So you're into scientists," she noted with a giggle. "I suppose that makes sense. I just assumed that you would be more interested in a girl like Tracer than in a girl like me."
"Tracer?" he asked in surprise. "No, no, no. Her and I are like brother and sister. I'm not attracted to her that way. Like I said, she kind of wears me out sometimes. It's so hard to keep up with her train of thought that whenever we've spent any ample time together I feel like I need a nap. If it were a choice between the two of you, you'd win, hands down." His words made Mei turn an even brighter red than before, causing him to quickly stammer out an apology. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to come out that way. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."
"No, no. It's fine, really. I'm glad we had this talk. I feel like I'm getting to know you much better now." As the waiter came and cleared the plates, her eyes remained locked in his. Dan could feel her staring straight through him and into his mind and he prayed that his feelings would remain secret, at least for now. "So, can I ask you a question, now?"
"Anything you like."
"Why are you so reluctant to learn to defend yourself?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, most guys I know would be thrilled to go to a shooting range. I was just curious if there was some reason you didn't want to."
"Yeah," he whispered, "there is. I told you about how my family and I were cornered by some omnecs when I was a teenager, right? I was never more scared in my life. It was terrifying. These cold, lifeless, machines were just mowing down people. Innocent people who hadn't done anything. I'll admit, it's been really hard convincing myself that the omnecs are just like us. But one thing I learned that day is that when a gun is used, people get hurt. Sometimes, even good ones. I don't want to hurt people."
She smiled softly at him, reaching across to rest her hand on his. "I understand. I felt similarly before I learned how to shoot. Though, I suppose I picked it up a little differently. I was exploring the forested mountains of Shichuan as one of my first expeditions. It's a beautiful place where bamboo grows so tall, you can barely see the sky. There, I managed to find a mother Panda and her two cubs. I began following them to study them, but unfortunately, I was not the only one doing so. The poachers had followed them across the mountain and had set up traps along the way to capture the babies." Her voice became low and somber as she continued her story, her expression growing darker and more serious. "One day, I found the mother caught in a snare and her cubs locked in cages. I tried to release them, but a poacher put a gun to my head and told me to stop or he'd shoot. Reluctantly, I did as he asked and moved back. I watched as he leveled his weapon towards the mother. I didn't even think about what happened next. I drew the gun from one of his friends' holsters, pointed it and shot. It was the first time I'd ever killed anyone before. It was awful. I had nightmares about it for days after that. But then, one day, I saw the same mother and cubs walking along the mountain path and I realized that by taking one life, I'd saved another three." She bit her lip, looking down at the empty table and drawing her hand away. "I'm sorry. I imagine you probably think less of me to value the lives of animals over that of a man."
"Not at all," he quickly retorted. "I mean...I'm sure you didn't just kill him because you felt like it, right?"
She smiled weakly. "I always try to find a peaceful solution first. But the world is one worth saving, you know? Sometimes, things must die so others can live. When I shot at those assassins, I didn't do it because I wanted to hurt them. I did it because I didn't want you to get hurt. It's the same reason I'm making you go to practice with Tracer. It's not because I don't want your help in the lab. It's because I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
After the waiter brought the check, the two made their way back to the lab. The conversations they had along the way seemed to bring them closer together. They talked about music and movies, sharing the minute details of what made up their lives.
Soon, however, their conversations came to an end when they reached the door. "Thanks again for lunch. I'll be sure to pay you back once money comes my way."
"That's not necessary," Dan said. "I would have wanted to treat you anyway. I...I really like talking to you, Mei. I can't explain it, but I feel like we're already close friends and that's not something that's easy for me. I really hope that's not strange."
"I feel the same way," she promised. "And don't worry. I won't start working on the machine again until you're back. If you like that is. You seemed interested, but if you're not and you're just a really good actor, this would be your chance to back out." She was teasing, of course, but at the same time there was a glimmer of nervousness hidden beneath them.
"I appreciate that. I'm actually a rather bad actor. I want to learn everything I can from you, Mei. Because of that is the only reason I'm not going kicking and screaming to the gun range."
Just as she was about to speak again, Tracer zipped from Winston's lab to rest beside them, a smile on her face. "Welcome back, you two. How was lunch? I hope you behaved yourself, Dan or else I'm going to be extra tough on you today in training."
He was not pleased by her insinuation, but Mei didn't hesitate to speak up for him. "He was a perfect gentleman. I hope you two will have fun. Let me know if he acts up, Tracer and I'll devise something for him." She stuck out her tongue playfully as the two set out to leave.
Dan waved farewell to his boss, as Tracer moved closer to him. "So, how did your 'date' go?"
"Pretty well, actually," he replied. "I started to have some doubts for a moment, but...I still think I have a chance. What's really funny is she thought that you and I were a thing."
"Us?" Tracer laughed. "Wouldn't that be something?"
"It'd certainly explain why you're so gung-ho to keep us apart," Dan teased. "Just so you know, I intend on putting you through the ringer. Sorry, 'love', but I think you may have met your match now."
She playfully punched his arm. "Oh, look at the cocky, son-of-a-bitch. Don't count me out of the race just yet, love. As we both know, I'm never one to give up on a competition."
As the two continued onward, Mei smiled taking a deep breath. Suddenly, however, her chest was gripped with a sudden spike of pain that sent her to her knees. She tried to open her mouth to call for them, but all that came was a series of hacking coughs that revealed specks of blood.
When nothing more came out, she placed her hand to her chest to find her heart racing. As it began to slow, a feeling of dread began to slowly trickle over her. Immediately going into the lab, she grabbed a cotton swab and though it made her gag, took a sample from the back of her throat. "Athena?" she wheezed.
"Mei, are you all right? You sound ill."
"I...I don't know. I need you to run an analysis on this sample. Get me the results when you can. But I need you to do something for me."
"What do you need?"
"Keep this test a secret from Dan."
To be continued...