Enraptured in Ice Ch. 5

AN: Hey everyone! Chapter five now completed! Sorry this one took a little longer than usual. It's been tough finding inspiration. If you're interested, I have some original work that I could use some feedback on. If not, just a review is more than enough to make my day and I'll try to reply to them when I can. I hope you enjoy and be sure to spread the word to your friends about my work. Thanks again for your support! -Kiba

As her plane touched down, Mercy took a deep breath. She had to prepare herself for the treatment. Just as the hatch opened, she found Dan waiting for her. "Dr. Ziegler," he exclaimed excitedly, hugging her tight. "It's so good to see you again."

"Erm...hello, Dan. You seem...cheerful?" she commented confused. "Where's Mei?"

"Recovering," he explained quickly. "I managed to cure her. The nanobots in her were forming crystals of dry ice in her lungs, so I used an EMP to knock them out of commission."

"You what?" she gasped. "Take me to her, now!"

"O-okay," he stammered. Knocking on the door of the lab, Dan smiled as he entered. "Hey, Mei. Dr. Ziegler is here to see how you're doing."

The dazed and still somewhat tired Mei smiled weakly to her. "Hello, Dr. Ziegler. It's good to see you again. You look just like you did five years ago."

"Thank you Mei," she replied. "You look pretty good yourself. I hope you don't mind if I give you a check-up."

"Sure. Dan's been pretty helpful in making me feel better."

Angela sat beside her, opening her pack, and retrieving a stethoscope. Placing the bell on her chest, she smiled to her reassuringly. "Take a deep breath for me, please."

She followed her instructions, her chest swelling outward before slowly returning back to its original position. Mercy would readjust and nod for her to repeat the process. Just as she'd confirmed, she could still hear her diaphragm struggling. "Is everything all right, Doctor?"

"Nothing too major," she promised. "Dan, may I speak to you outside please?"

"Yes, ma'am," he beamed proudly, smiling back at Mei before following her out. As the door closed behind them, the grin was still on his face. "Did I do well Dr. Ziegler?"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" she demanded, quickly wiping the expression from his face. "Are you out of your damned mind? You're lucky that she's still able to be breathe, much less alive!"

"But...but I…"

"Dan, you are not a doctor," she interrupted. "Do you understand how dangerous what you did was? Right now her lungs are filled with those nanobots and since you disabled them, now they're presently scarring them and causing them to bleed! If I hadn't come here, she'd probably be very sick within the day."

"She was coughing up blood and...and...they were making dry ice and she couldn't breathe…"

"I don't want to hear excuses, Dan! This is not a game!"

He appeared crestfallen as he looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I was just trying to help."

"Your heart was in the right place, but that's not good enough, understand? You don't become a doctor by having a good heart, Dan. You have to study and practice for years before you start treating patients. And for the record, you should have contacted me the moment you found out she was alive in the cryopod! How did you revive her, anyway?"

"I f-followed the instructions in your journals. I did all the steps, I swear."

"You did?"

"Yes."

"No shortcuts at all?"

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze still locked on his feet. "Well...there was one thing…"

"Dan," she growled.

"Athena said the nanobots could adjust her body temperature so it would be faster if I used them instead of soaking her in the bath. I didn't want her to go into shock from the sudden temperature change, so I told her to use them to defrost her."

Mercy took a deep breath, struggling to control her temper. "Do you even understand the repercussions of what you've done? You're the reason the nanobots were producing the dry ice in the first place! Since you instructed them to heat up her body, they were removed from autopilot which means anyone could control them after that! And, for the record, the human body can only go into shock when exposed from heat to cold, not from cold to heat! Next time there is a medical emergency you contact me and if something needs to be done, I will tell you to do it! From now on, you do nothing without my say-so, do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes ma'am," he muttered, hanging his head in shame. "I'm really sorry, Doctor Ziegler. I just wanted to help. You were really busy and they said the surgery was super important. I just wanted to impress you."

"Dan, I am impressed by you. You're a bright kid and you have a lot of potential. But you're reaching outside of your limits and when you do that, people can be seriously hurt or worse. You have to work your way up in life. Do you think I or anyone else here were just flung into where we are? We had to work for it, just as you do."

"It just feels like everyone else is so far ahead of me. I want to be appreciated. I don't want to just be an assistant anymore."

"Start from the bottom," she instructed, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Work your way to the top. You may not believe it, but you are appreciated, by everyone. I can honestly say things around here wouldn't be the same without you. Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to do a minor operation on Mei to get the nanobots out of her lungs. I'm going to need an assistant, but in order for you to be qualified, you'll have to do something to prove you can be trusted. Interested?"

With that, Dan's face lit up once more. "Anything," he promised. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"Apologize to Mei and explain everything that happened. Once you're done, we'll work from there, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he swore, giving her a salute before rushing inside to get on with the task. Mercy sighed, cupping her cheek and watching her young pupil bounce up the steps enthusiastically.

"That was very kind of you, Doc," McCree commented from the shadows, causing her to frown. "I figured you'd have let the kid really have it."

"You don't consider that 'letting him have it'?"

He chuckled, tipping his hat slightly. "You're far too soft, Doc."

"What do you suggest then, Jesse? I suppose forcing him into a life of crime to toughen him up? After all, you turned out so well, didn't you?"

"You wound me, Doc."

"If I could watch over him regularly, I would. There's a reason I'm not a mother, Mr. McCree. I'm far too busy to raise a child."

A puff of smoke emerged from the gunslinger's mouth, as he turned to look at her. "Well, I've got nothin' better to do. What if I looked after the kid when you're gone. Truth be told, kid could use a man's influence."

Her eyes narrowed as she shot him a glare. "If you do, you'd better be warned. That kid is cared about by many dangerous people. If you hurt him…"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. You'd probably make me wish I was never born or something like that." Dropping the cigar on the ground, he crushed the embers under his boot. "You ain't got nothin' to worry about, Doc. All I intend is teachin' him to shoot and teachin' him to slow down a bit. I trust you'll find that satisfactory?"

Knocking politely, Dan once more entered the room where Mei sat on her cot, jotting down another journal entry. "Mei, can you talk?"

She looked up with a smile. "Of course, Dan. I wouldn't be too great of a friend if I turned away the man who saved me twice." A pang of guilt lanced through his chest as he sat beside her, staring at the ground. Immediately, she picked up on the change of his mood. "Dan? What's wrong?"

"I...I'm really sorry, Mei," he whispered.

"Sorry?"

"It's all my fault," he explained. "I'm the reason you're sick. When you were frozen, I made a mistake bringing you out of it. I was supposed to let you defrost more slowly. Instead, I decided to use the nanobots, because I thought it'd be faster and safer. I didn't want to wait for Dr. Ziegler to come and revive you because I wanted to impress her and Winston and Tracer. But all I did was mess up, and because of that the nanobots went haywire and messed up your lungs."

She closed her journal setting it aside and crossing her legs beneath her. "But you fixed that mistake. So really, there's no harm, no foul, right? You saved me, again. Even if you did cause me to need to be saved, you did what you felt was right. I can't judge you for that."

"I didn't save you," he replied, still unable to meet her gaze. "I just delayed it is all. Now that the nanobots are out of commission, they're inside of your lungs and Mercy says they've cut up the inside of them. She said that unless she operates on you, you'll just be back to where you were in a day, maybe even worse."

Mei said nothing at first, trying to formulate a response. She didn't want to hurt her assistant's feelings, but at the same time, she didn't want to just let this go either. "How long do I have with the operation?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "She didn't say. Again, I should have waited for her, but instead, I had to prove myself to you and everyone else."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Dan. I know that you're more than capable. I've seen it myself. You just need to slow down is all."

"Yes, I do," he replied. "I have to prove myself to you. I have to!"

"Why?"

His cheeks blazed a bright red. "Ever since I pulled you out of the ice...I knew...I knew I loved you," he explained.

Her eyes went wide. "L-love m-me?" she stammered in surprise. "Dan, we barely know each other. I mean, we've only known one another for two days. You can't honestly...I mean…" she was struggling to find words.

"Please, please, Mei. I need you to forgive me. I...I'll do anything to make this up to you, I swear. I just...I don't want to have to leave your side. Please."

Mei was at a loss for words as her heart rate began to increase drastically. She couldn't believe the words she was hearing from her young assistant. "Listen, Dan I think…" she paused for a moment before continuing. "I forgive you, Dan. But I think it's best if from now on, you remained Winston's assistant. I'm really sorry, but I don't love you. You're sweet, and you're kind, but...I don't really know you at all. I can't have you be around me if your feelings are going to hinder your work the way they clouded your judgment for my treatment. I'm sorry."

His heart broke in his chest as he just stared vacantly at the ground. He couldn't believe how much he was hurting. "I...I'm sorry...I can make it up to you, I can…" he tried, but Mei just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Dan. I'm going to tell Winston in the morning to find me a new assistant," she interrupted, her mind made up. This wasn't something she took joy in. In fact, if she could have, she would have just forgotten his confession all together. But as it stood, she needed to distance him from herself. It was what was best, she felt, for both of them.

"Yes ma'am," he finally replied, "I understand." Standing up, he brushed past her to leave, and even then, she could still feel the pain from her words rolling from him. Even still, she steeled herself. As Dan hurried down the steps, McCree and Mercy both looked to him. "Good luck with your operation, Doctor," he said, trying hard to hide his tears.

Looking expectantly at the vigilante, she nodded her head after the kid, causing him to roll his eyes. "Fine, I'll go talk to the kid," he grumbled, moving from his position to go after Dan. Dan stood over his old workbench in Winston's lab, the ape currently dozing on an upper level in a gigantic tire.

McCree entered, searching for him and when he found him, he cleared his throat. "Hey, uh...kid," he began, unsure of how to put his foot forward. Walking up to him, he reached into his breast pocket and removed a flask, taking a swig before offering it to him. "Here. Put some damned hair on your chest."

Dan glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Look, if it were up to me, I'd just let you wallow in your bullshit, understand? But, I made a promise to the Doc, so here I am giving you some of my golden nectar. Now you gonna take a hit of this whiskey or not?" he snapped.

Reluctantly, Dan took the flask, taking a swig of it before wiping the his mouth with the back of his hand and handing it back. Calming down some, he pointed to the man's shoulder. "You want me to patch up that arm for you?"

"Would be nice," he admitted, sitting as Dan indicated. As the assistant began to tinker on the robotic arm, McCree watched him carefully. "So you're pretty gun shy, huh?"

"Yes," he answered, not wishing to make small talk.

"Understandable. Them guns are pretty lethal. Everyone's a bit nervous about a weapon that they can't always see comin'."

"What do you want?" Dan repeated.

"I told you. I made a promise to the Doc. She asked that I look after you."

"I don't need looked after. I'm not a child."

"Hell, I know that. You're already a full grown man, at least on the outside," he suddenly let out a hiss as Dan warningly brushed his skin with the hot iron. "Damn it, watch what you're doin'!"

Ignoring him, Dan continued his work. "It's not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, it's just that I wish they would see me as an equal, not as someone who has to be shadowed all the time."

"Trust comes with time, kid. Everyone knows that. You gotta be understandin' of them. Most of 'em been a team since before you even knew their names. In one way or another, they've all had to prove themselves to each other."

"Yeah, well...when I try to do that, all I manage is to fuck things up even more."

"How so?"

"I nearly killed Mei," he pointed out. "I managed to make her hate me because I jumped the gun and told her I had feelings for her."

"Yeah, after two days? That'd weird out anyone. Look kid, I can't promise I can get you back in her good graces, but I can say that I can teach you a thing or two about being a member of Overwatch."

"I've said it once, I'll say it again...to hell with Overwatch."

"Son I'd sooner buy a bridge than buy that you don't want anything to do with Overwatch."

"I don't."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Then why are you still here?"

Dan fell silent and he knew he'd been had. He couldn't even lie correctly. After a few more moments, he removed the torch. "There. Your arms fixed. We finished here or do you want to waste even more of both of our time?"

"Boy, you are getting on the last of my nerves," Jesse growled, flexing his mechanical digits to ensure they were working correctly. "To answer your question, no we ain't done and no, you ain't gonna waste my time. I'm gonna teach you how to shoot and more importantly how to not be a belligerent fuck-up. I ain't gonna help you get the girl, that ship may have already sailed, but I'm going to teach you how not to let that shit happen again. Square?"

"If I say 'no'?"

"Well, then I've got strict order to escort you off these premises with a severe case of lead poisonin'," he lied. He could see in his eyes that Dan knew he was lying about the orders too, but he wasn't sure if that meant he wouldn't still do it. "Don't worry, I ain't startin' you on the Peacekeeper. That was just plain foolishness." Moving his arm, he seemed impressed. "Hot damn kid, you got some sort of talent. Feels better than it has in a long time."

"Yeah, whatever," Dan sighed, tossing his spanner on to the workbench and going to leave. He was sick of being told that. If he was so smart, then why did he continue to do things that were so stupid? Making his way to the replacement hammock he had set up in Winston's lab, he clambered into it and rolled over away from the world.

McCree let out a frustrated groan. This was going to be even more difficult than he thought it was. "Why the hell did I offer to do this again?" he asked himself out loud. Following him, he took off his hat, scratching his head. "Look, kid. You wanna impress your gal? The way you start is by cowboying up and not pouting like a child. If you can prove to me you got what it takes, I'll even start callin' you by your name."

"Fine," he replied, not moving an inch.

Knowing he wouldn't get any more out of him, the sharpshooter turned and left, stepping out into the night and lighting himself another cigar. Tracer came to stand beside him, eager to hear what he had to say. "Well?" she asked, urging information from him.

"Well, I got my work cut out for me," he replied before giving a nonchalant puff of smoke. "Is this kid always so hard-headed? I mean hell, he's whimperin' like a kicked dog in his bed. I ain't ever seen a grown-ass man act like this before, even at his worst."

"Dan's different," Tracer tried to explain. "To be honest, I couldn't tell you what's wrong with him. He's just not normal is all. He's intelligent, sure, but he's also very sensitive. We all pitch in to take care of him. In a way, I guess you could consider this your inauguration into the team."

"Yeah, well, I ended up gettin' the ape's stupid message," he replied, holding up his holo-phone. "Overwatch recall to action, huh? Figured I'd get in on whatever it was that's going down. Any word from others? To be frank, I'm shocked that the Doc deigned to come back."

"We've received word from a few operatives that intend to rejoin us. In particular, we have Phara, D. Va., and Reinhardt coming in. We've been trying to pinpoint this mysterious Soldier 76 everyone is going on about. Last I heard he was in Mexico somewhere. Other than that, most are just up in the air. We've got new enemies now. I've heard tell that the UN has some new program they're using from Australia to come after us. Add Talon into the mix and we have big problems on our hands."

A thought suddenly occured to McCree. "Wait a moment, are you tellin' me this entire time everyone has been treating Dan like he's a child? No wonder he's so messed up."

"Don't you think we've tried to treat him like an adult?" Tracer argued. "He just...it's like he doesn't know even simple stuff sometimes. Like that you can't fall in love with someone after only two days."

"Lots'a people believe in love at first sight. Guess you're not one of 'em."

"I'm just scared that someone will take advantage of him is all," she protested. "I'm like his big sister, I have to look after him."

"Uh-huh. Tell me darlin', what is he supposed to do when you're not around?"

"I...I don't know…" she admitted.

McCree smirked. "Yep. I reckoned that's what you'd say. Tell ya what. Give me a few days with Dan then send him somewhere on some sorta mission. You said you got a few new recruits comin' in. Have him be the liaison to check they're on the up and up. I bet if you made him feel important and less like a nuisance, he'll be whipped into shape."

"That's kind of like teaching a person to swim by throwing them into the ocean, isn't it?"

"Yeah well...you gotta take the floaties of some time, kid. For Dan, that time has been long overdue."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right. Besides, it'd be good for him to get some distance from Mei after this whole business. Mercy says it won't be too much trouble to reverse the damage Dan's done."

"Atta' girl. Don't worry Tracer, we'll make a man of him yet." With that, he tipped his hat politely before snuffing out his cigar, walking to return to the guest cots where he was assigned to bunk.

Tracer frowned, looking up at the stars. "Good luck, Dan."

A week later…

"Are you sure you have everything?" Tracer asked him, arms folded nervously across her chest.

"Yes mom, I'm fine," Dan retorted sarcastically. "It's fine Tracer. Don't forget, I traveled on my own until I bumped into you. This isn't exactly new for me. Besides, I'm really excited to meet the other new recruits like me. It'll be nice having someone under me for a change."

"Don't let that power go to your head," Winston lectured. "After last week's fiasco…"

"What he means is," Mercy quickly cut him off, "we're all going to miss you, Dan. We can't help but worry about one of our own."

He smiled weakly at the doctor before looking past her to see Mei inside of her lab. "Not everyone," he sighed.

"Remove it from your mind, kid. Remember what I told you at the range? Distractions are the enemy even more so than the opposin' guns. Keep your eye dead on the target, and wipe out all the other stuff."

"Yes, sir. I remember."

As the door to the plane closed, Dan sank back into the chair as the Omnec pilot looked over his shoulder curiously. "Going on a trip?" he asked in a robotic voice. It always puzzled Dan how cabbies could ask such dumb questions.

"Yeah," he answered. "South Korea."

"I love me South Korea. Them girls there, absolute beauties. I heard that over there, you can get yourself an oil change for pennies on the dollar. Can you believe that?"

"Nope," Dan replied nonchalantly. If the Omnec wanted to talk, he'd let him talk.

"This is a really important time down there, you know? Supposedly, the Meka squad is activating pretty soon. It'll be interesting to see them in action, even if it is against one of my brethren."

With a roar, the machine took to the skies as he occasionally muttered an affirmative to the incessant drivel coming from the pilot. Staring out over the clouds, all he could think about was his last week. He'd gotten in some training with McCree, and even he had to admit that shooting the much small calibre guns were not nearly as bad as he feared. Mei still hadn't spoken a word to him since she fired him from being her assistant.

Truth be told it wounded him deeply, more so than the original rejection. His mistake of confessing to her, he regarded, as being his worst. He'd rather have never been able to tell her that he loved her and still be able to spend time with her than this emptiness that he now felt.

He quickly shook the thoughts from his head. He had to remember McCree's lessons. No distractions! He had a job to do and it was one he intended to do to his fullest ability. Meet the new recruit, see what she could do, if approved, give her the official invitation to Gibraltar.

He was surprised that the country would agree to give up the captain of their self-defense Meka squad, but whatever the case was, Dan has no intention of screwing this up. He'd prove that he could work regardless of where his head was. They were counting on him and he refused to let them be disappointed in him again.

It took almost no time until the pilot alerted him that they would be landing soon. How long had he zoned out? With a thud, the wheels landed upon the ground, slowing to a halt and opening the door to allow Dan to slowly descend the steps, bag in hand.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure where to go from here. They told him he'd have someone waiting for him, but he prayed that they wouldn't seriously have someone waiting with a sign that read 'Overwatch Operative' on it.

Placing a hand over his eyes to protect himself from the glaring overhead fluorescent lights, he stood, the crowds surging around him. To be honest, he actually felt a little overwhelmed by it all, but he swallowed it down.

His eyes scanned the faces as people split with their loved ones, leaving the airport. Finally, his eyes rested upon her. A young girl, barely nineteen, holding a sign that read Dan McQueen. She seemed incredibly bored as a pink bubble inflated from her lips, popping and vanishing back between her teeth.

Making his way through the throng, he approached her, flashing her a soft and professional (he hoped) smile. "Hello," he greeted, causing her to look him up and down through her dark mirrored sunglasses.

Tugging the baseball cap she wore on her head a little further down, she waved silently for him to follow her. Not a very friendly person, he noted. He was surprised by how easily she moved through the surging mob, and he tried his best to keep up.

Every few feet, she'd pause to glance back to ensure he was behind her before continuing once more. When at last they reached the doors, she pointed to a limousine that waited patiently.

"Wow," he muttered. "I wasn't expecting such a red carpet welcome."

"It's not for you," she replied, the very first words she spoke. "This is how I always travel."

What? As she reached for the door, Dan did the same, grasping the handle and holding it open for her, causing her to look at him silently, judgingly even. "Sorry, force of habit," he explained, but still she just popped another bubble with her gum before slipping inside.

Following her inside, he was amazed by how spacious the interior was. Crossing one leg over another, she sighed, reaching up to her glasses and removing them from her face. Her eyes were a deep and dark chocolate brown, and meeting his, he was suddenly struck by a strange sensation. Just by removing the shades, she seemed like a completely different person. "Forgive me for the coldness," she replied, tugging off the hat and allowing luscious brown hair to cascade around her shoulders. "I can't risk being recognized in public or else we'd never have gotten out of there."

"R-recognized?" he stammered, suddenly intimidated by the girl's cuteness alone. "What do you mean?"

She blinked confused, tilting her head slightly. "You...don't recognize me?" she asked puzzled. "Oh! Umm…" she paused for a moment before clearing her throat. "GG!" she cried cutely, flashing a big smile and a peace sign.

"Oh! You're...umm...that gamer girl. I apologize, I'm awful with names...Hannah?"

"Hana," she corrected. "But most of my fans call me D. Va.."

Dan's eyes lit up in a mix of surprise and recognition. "Oh! You're D. Va.! I'm so sorry, I'm afraid they didn't tell me who I was here to meet. I was expecting someone more…" he words trailed off as she stared at him expectantly. "Militant."

A grin spread across her lips as she spread her arms to relax herself in the cushy leather seats. "Right, right. I get that a lot, too. Gamer gone captain of the Mobile Exo-force of the Korean Army? Not exactly a typical story, I suppose. I'll forgive you this time, I suppose. But you better not forget my name again or else I'll have to teach you a lesson." She wiggled her finger cutely.

"Consider it done," he assured her, smiling back. "If I may ask, how old are you? You seem really young for a military commander."

"Good eye," she giggled. "I'm nineteen, but don't think that makes me a push over. I know quite a bit about defending myself. But enough about me, tell me about yourself. I'm afraid I haven't been briefed on you or why you're here. They just told me it was important. Are you some sort of politician's kid or something?"

Dan opened his mouth to speak before realizing that if she wasn't told, it was probably for a reason. "Something like that," he answered. "Just know that I'm really just here to watch you." Realizing how that sounded he quickly tacked on, "But not in a creepy way."

She blew another bubble, the playful gleam in her eyes bringing to mind that of a cat prowling a mouse. "I don't mind," she teased. "I'm used to guys watching me."

"I didn't…" before he could attempt to remove his foot from his mouth, there was suddenly a boom sending the limo careening n a wild fish tail that sent D. Va. tumbling on top of him.

Being so close, he could smell the cherry gum that she was chewing, and as they came to a halt, she quickly detangled herself from him. "Stay here," she instructed, opening a panel on the side and withdrawing an energy pistol.

Reaching to the top of the zipper on the windbreaker she had on, she quickly cast it off, revealing a skintight jumpsuit. The air around them grew thick with the foul stench of sulfur. Just as she reached for the door handle, Dan leapt at her, tackling her to the ground. "Down!" he shouted, just as a powerful shotgun blast tore through the window.

"What the hell?!" she cried in surprise.

"Damn it, Talon found us," he growled, giving his briefcase a kick and catching the revolver that tumbled out. It wasn't nearly as powerful as the peacekeeper, but he found it much more stable than the lightweight energy pistols that Tracer had.

"Get off of me," she stated, her eyes narrowing.

"Sorry," he apologized, rolling off of her, leveling his barrel at the door. Just as the door was ripped open, he fired square at the skull-shaped mask, just before Reaper turned into a cloud of smoke. "Come on!" he urged, chasing after.

"W-wait! That's my line!" she protested, leaping from the cabin. Standing back to back, the two were shocked to find themselves surrounded by armed operatives. "Well, I hope you were ready for a show."

"I'll admit, I was expecting to at least check into my hotel room first," he replied.

"I can't believe this," she grumbled. "Babysitting some brat and already I have to go to work."

"Brat?" Dan protested, just as the soldiers began to fire. He quickly dove out of the way, fanning the hammer to rapidly put down three of them.

Firing wildly, D. Va. agilely dodged their gun fire, flipping this way and that as she put them down with surprising precision. It was amazing to watch, Dan had to admit, but right now he was a little more focused on the remaining forces.

Dashing for cover, bullets riddled the wall in his wake. Waiting for a break in fire, he quickly spun, firing again to take out another three. Crouching down, again, he popped open the chamber and used his quick loader to reload before snapping it shut.

Just as he did, a tracer round fired, narrowly missing his head as he looked up into the dark blue skin of Widowmaker. "You," she commented. "You owe me a new gun."

"You owe me a new pair of pants," he countered leveling his gun at her. As he began to fire, she easily dodged his shots, firing a grappling hook towards him and kicking him hard in the chest with its momentum.

Pinning him to the wall with her heel, she leveled the machine gun at his face. "Last words? Not that I care, just as a courtesy."

Grasping a handful of debris from the ground, he cast it upward into her eyes, knocking her leg away and moving to get behind her. Grabbing a venom mine from her belt, he shoved her forward hard. "Why the hell are you following me?!"

"Aww, is the poor baby scared?" she cooed, spinning to fire her assault rifle towards him. He quickly hit the deck, throwing the mine towards her face and engulfing her in the toxic purple gas.

"Terrified," he answered, firing his gun in retort and managing to put a bullet in her shoulder.

She began to cough in the gas, suffocating on her own weapon until the cover of her goggles descended to at least protect her eyes. "Damn it, you're an annoying little pest!" she snarled. Firing her grappling hook at him, she intended to pull him into the cloud with her where she'd have the upper hand, but he narrowly managed to dodge it.

Moving to the center, he found that D. Va. had just finished eliminating the other soldiers. "We have to get out of here," he called to her, as she examined the watch on her wrist, turning the border on its face.

"Securing an escape route now," she promised. "Where the hell were you?" Dan quickly shoved her out of the way as another sniper shot flew between them. As her eyes fell on the assassin she let out a huff. "Seriously? You were flirting in the middle of a fight?"

"Don't even," he protested, panting from exhaustion. He was running out of energy quickly. "We've got another one somewhere. Be careful. These are Talon's best."

"Astute observation," Reaper hissed behind him, shooting him point blank in the back with a shotgun that sent him forward to the ground. His clothes, torn, it revealed the small modified armor that Dan had been developing, but he knew it wouldn't last him for another shot. "You're slipping." Putting his boot on Dan's back, he rolled Dan over and prepared to fire into his face.

Dan's life began to flash before him, but somehow through his memories, he managed to see a large figure rocketing down from the sky. Just as it slammed down on top of Reaper, he was shocked to see the familiar feminine shape appear inside of its cockpit. "MEKA online," D. Va. commented into her radio. "You okay, Dan?" He let out a wounded groan in response. "Good enough for me," she commented, turning to fire a volley of machine gun fire at the assassin underfoot. Reaper disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing behind her, but she quickly turned and opened fire again. "Back up! What is your ETA?"

"Coming in hot, ma'am! We'll be there in T-Minus 20 seconds."

Widowmaker lined up another shot at the gigantic mech, attempting to use her distraction against her. As sensors began to beep frantically, D. Va. pressed a series of buttons on the joysticks, reflecting back the fire off of her energy shields.

"Widowmaker, we're leaving," Reaper called from cover, turning to fire a few escaping shots from his shotgun.

"Roger," his partner replied, throwing a smoke mine towards the two fighters.

Seeing it, D. Va. quickly scooped Dan up by his shirt as large rockets roared to life on her back, sending them both up into the air and to safety. Setting him down on the roof, she quickly turned to leave. "Stay here!" she demanded, just as another four mechs came crashing down from the sky. Looking around, however, it seemed as if the hostiles had simply vanished. "Chen-chang! Where did they go?!"

Dan tried to point to the escaping duo, but with the concussive force that had ruptured through him, his body urged him to simply rest. As his eyes began to close, he cursed himself for not being strong enough to have helped more.

To be continued...