Title: Just A Scratch
Rating: Teen and Up
Category: F/F
Fandom: Overwatch (Video Game)
Characters: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Overwatch Team
Language: English
Notes: Writing prompt from Tumblr. Use of the 8-Point Story Arc.
Summary: Part 2. While out on a mission the Overwatch team encountered trouble. Now it's a race to save their lives.
Blood soaked her hands. No matter how much she tried to heal the woman laying prone beneath her, the blood kept flowing. Like a litany she kept repeating, heros never die, her words no more than a whisper. The brave woman who had risked her life to save her own was slowly slipping away from her and there was nothing she could do. Tears streaked her face as she let loose a cry of frustration.
"Mein Gott, can't this damn bird move any faster!"
"Apologies ma'am. If I push it any harder, we're likely to blow an engine."
As if to emphasize the point, the transport plane shuddered as if the wings would tear from their rivets. Angela shook her head and looked down at Fareeha, eyes closed as if she were just sleeping. She was straddling Fareeha's hips on the gurney, hands firmly pressed to the wound on her abdomen. Had this been any other situation she might have taken pleasure in how good it felt to be this close.
All she could think about though was how near she was to losing Fareeha. Angela was spent and as much as she tried to muster the strength to heal, only a dull, golden light illuminated the skin beneath her hands. It wouldn't be enough to save Fareeha but hopefully it would keep her alive until they reached the base. She swallowed her frustration, laying her head gently on Fareeha's shoulder. Her healing abilities were failing her when she needed them the most. She had managed to patch the wound on Fareeha's back but the pipe had cut clean through, stopping just short of piercing the chest guard on the Raptora suit.
She wanted to strangle her, for being brave, for taking such a risk, for not being honest about how badly hurt she had been and she promised herself she would make sure Fareeha got through this, if only so she could throttle the woman. She wanted to punish Fareeha but mostly she wanted to punish herself for ever leaving this beautiful woman alone and in pain.
The team had needed her and she made her way to Tracer. Luckily, the young woman had been standing farther away from the truck when the explosion was triggered. Lena had been able to blink away to avoid most of the damage but the shock wave had caught up to her, tossing her through the glass windows of an old diner. She had suffered a number of broken bones and numerous lacerations to her face and arms. Angela was able to heal most of the major injuries with the Caduceus staff, then used a booster shot to assist the healing process.
"How do you feel?"
"Better than you look, love." Angela gave the young woman an annoyed look. Tracer only gave her a cheeky smile in return.
"I'm alright, love just feel like I've been run over by a train. We were lucky. Where are the others?"
"I was just with Fareeha and according to the locater beacons, the rest of the team are still near the blast zone. I haven't been able to raise anyone on the comms and my suit is damaged."
"Then we best find those blighters before they run off and get themselves into trouble."
Tracer went to stand but immediately fell back down to the ground, a sharp cry coming from her lips. Angela laid her hand gently on Tracer's arm, her thumb rubbing soothing circles. She was shaking, most likely because of adrenaline.
"You're not going anywhere, Lena. Stay here and rest, at least for a few more minutes. You can join us at the following coordinates when ready."
Tracer looked as if she wanted to argue but simply nodded her head in acquiescence. After ensuring that Tracer was safe and she had rendezvous point, Angela jumped back into the air and took off to the next beacon. Looking through the visor, Reinhardt, Zarya and DVa were all together but she wasn't sure how much she could trust the readings. Her suit had absorbed a ton of damage and flying was draining the remaining power reserves.
She wasn't sure how she had managed to escape with only a few cuts and bruises. The left side of her face was numb, she had probably fractured her cheek and she could feel the warm stream of blood running down her right temple and down her neck, staining the collar of her suit. Angela could only assume that Fareeha and the Raptora suit had taken the brunt of the blow. Her thoughts strayed to her, hoping she was still safe. She would take care of Fareeha and her own wounds later, right now the team needed her.
Angela stumbled as she landed, her wings drooping as the last of her power reserves faded. It would take some time for it to replenish. Not waiting, she jogged the rest of the way to the team. When she reached the intersection where they had carefully laid out their ambush prior, only a crater remained. The surrounding buildings were now perched precariously on uneven ground, their own supports bent and threatening to buckle.
Her visor flickered, her friends' beacons disappearing. She tapped the side impatiently and the beacons flared to life again, blinking in and out. The other three had been flung far West and Angela made her way carefully around the crater and crumbling buildings. Her feet were heavy and each step made the fire burning in her thighs worse. The suit was only a hindrance now that the power was depleted. If they made it through this, she promised herself to spend more time in the gym working on her strength and endurance. She couldn't rely solely on the suit.
It didn't take long to find the rest of the team. Her heart caught in her throat as she got closer and saw the limp form of Reinhardt on the ground, Zarya and DVa hovering over him. DVa was desperately trying to wake him. She skidded to a halt pushing the women out of the way, her doctor's instinct kicking in as she began triage.
DVa stood off to the side, wrapped in the strong arms of Zarya, their faces pale with fear as they watched her work.
"What happened?" When neither responded she snapped at them, her voice cutting through their daze like a knife.
"What happened?" It was Zarya that spoke. Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been screaming at the top of her lungs. Knowing her, it wasn't improbable.
"Reinhardt, shielded us, the damn fool! I have no idea how he got it up in time. One minute we're celebrating and the next we're flung halfway down the block. When the shield failed..."
DVa spoke up then, clearing her throat and taking a step closer to Angela.
"When the shield failed, I tried to use my mech to take the rest of the impact but I wasn't fast enough. Reinhardt...I saw Reinhardt..."
DVa's voice cracked and Zarya rested her large hands on the young girl's shoulders. It didn't take much guessing to figure out what happened. Angela could see the damage that had ripped through Reinhardt's chest and face. His pulse was thready, weak and she could feel it failing. She didn't have the power left to treat even the most basic injuries on him, let alone to heal the mortal injuries that were were killing him. She needed more power and she couldn't wait until the power reserves regenerated. She looked at the twisted pile of metal, all that remained of the mech when the idea struck her.
"DVa, is your mech's powercell still functional?" DVa's face was a mask of confusion. She looked at the mangled wreck and that's when it hit Angela of just how lucky her friends had been. Understanding dawned on her face and DVa ran to the mech, ripping out the cell and running over to Angela's side. DVa opened a small panel on Angela's back, underneath her wings and then proceeded to run the wiring from the suit to the cell.
"Might want to bit down on something, Doctor Ziegler. I'm hot wiring your suit and it's not going to be pleasant." Angela gritted her teeth, her face set in determination. With a quick nod of her head, she gave DVa the go ahead.
"Do it."
Without warning, electricity ran through her body. Any normal person would have died from the current. If not for the suit insulating her from most of the shock, the pain alone made her want to pass out. It seemed to last an eternity but it couldn't have been more than thirty seconds and then it was gone. Smoke rose from her collar and Angela felt a burning sensation between her shoulder blades. She probably had 2nd to 3rd degree burns but she would deal with it later.
In resolute hands, she grabbed her staff. The bright golden glow encompassing her and Reinhardt. She watched as the wounds healed from the inside out, turning gaping wounds into closed, albeit bruised flesh. The light slowly dissipated and after feeling for a pulse, felt satisfied as it remained steady and strong. Reinhardt
wouldn't be waking up anytime soon but he wouldn't be dying today either. She needed to get him back to base where they could take proper exams to ensure there was no internal bleeding but she was confident he would make a full recovery. Angela looked up at DVa and Zarya with a smile, relief flooded their faces. Only then did DVa allow herself a good cry, throwing herself against Zarya and burying her head into her ample chest.
They all jumped when feedback and static blasted through their earpieces. It cleared shortly after and Tracer's sing-song voice chirped on the line.
"Good day, loves!"
"Tracer, where are you? I told you to rendezvous on my position."
Tracer laughed and Angela could understand why Fareeha found the woman's behavior irritating at times. This was no laughing matter. They had injured, they couldn't mount a defense and more than likely Talon reinforcements were approaching their location to confirm the kills. They were running out of time.
"No worries, doc. I felt someone needed to touch base with Widowmaker, seeing as how she was the only one not caught up in all the excitement. I thought it best she knew we were still alive." Angela had to admit that Tracer's decision had been spot on. That's when it hit her. The comms were back up.
"How are we communicating?" Widowmaker's cool voice spoke in her ear and she stifled the shiver that raced down her spine.
"The comm signal needed to be calibrated and boosted. Seeing as how I avoided the explosion, my comm was the only working link. I just replicated my signal across the team and then used the satellite on this building to amplify it. I've already sent a distress signal. Our ride home is seven minutes out."
The transport plane took a sharp dive and Angela was almost flung off her perch on Fareeha, the gurney tipping precariously on edge. Her words were sharp and harsh when she cursed at the pilot.
"Apologies, ma'am we are heading into the base."
"Radio ahead and make sure that my staff has readied the operating room."
"Already taken care of ma'am."
Angela sighed with relief and looked at the woman beneath her, pale and lifeless. Gently running her fingertips down her cheek, she traced the tattoo under one eye. She couldn't lose Fareeha. She had already lost so much. Even if she could never tell Fareeha how she felt about her, she would do everything she could to make sure she survived and found happiness. Unable to hold back her tears anymore, she cried.
"Mein schatz, do not leave me. Please, do not leave me."
It wasn't much longer and they landed at the base. Slipping back into her training as a doctor, she took
command of the medics and nurses bustling about, barking directions at them. She locked Angela away, the woman that loved Fareeha with all of her being and became Doctor Ziegler, world reknown and prodigy surgeon. Fareeha needed the world's best and Angela swore by all that was holy, or perhaps unholy, that she would become that for her. She would fight the devil himself to save the life of the woman she loved.
Author Note: Apologies, I know it's a short chapter. Please look forward to the next Sunday for Part 3.