"Today is the final day of the recruits training." Morrison said to her, Alice nodded boredly, though she wondered how excited Ava must be. "Captain Amari is setting up some sort of obstacle course to put the recruits through for their final test."
Several days had passed since the accident, and Alice tried to keep her eyes open and be respectful towards Commander Morrison, even though she wasn't happy about getting dragged out of bed, literally, by Reyes just to listen to Morrison talk about something irrelevant like graduation.
Seeing Reyes did not surprise her, considering he was her boss and in charge of her training. However, she had not seen Commander Morrison since her very first day on the base. So saying that she was surprised would be an understatement.
"She's gathering up best of the best to help test them." Alice nodded, struggling to keep up with what Morrison was saying to her, due to her extreme sleep deprivation. She knew that Reyes was watching her in amusement, and she wanted nothing more than to punch his smug face.
Alice had no idea why Morrison felt the need to tell her this, considering the fact that she was not required to participate in this final test. She had already been recruited into Blackwatch.
"And what exactly do I have to do with this?" She asked with a yawn escaping her lips.
"Get yourself ready, and scare the kids a little, you know, like you used to do back in Hanamura. Sneak up on them and give them a good spook, but not so much as to actually give them a heart attack." Reyes said, and Morrison added, "Don't be too aggressive with them; just act like an enemy and observe how they respond. Engage in combat with them if needed, and take careful notes of everything you see."
"It'll be like a small test for you, so give your best." Reyes said.
Alice brightened a little at the idea of letting her run free and giving the new recruits the experience they wouldn't forget. Morrison noticed it and shook his head in amusement, but said nothing.
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A loud ringing sound could be heard coming from someone's dorm, as the edge of the blade makes contact with the steel. Alice flinched uncomfortably at first to the noise, but after sharpening her katana a few more times, she eventually got used to it.
Examining the blade, she put it back into its sheath, then attached above her wrists the spring-loaded dagger, which she got back from Reyes, who said that the design of it is pretty old and complicated and was thinking about giving it to one of his engineers to give it a big upgrade but Alice refused, not wanting her work to be even more complicated and changed that it already is.
Walking through the Overwatch base with her katana strapped to her back, she gripped a small plastic bag filled with noisemakers in her hand. The mini bombs didn't explode; they only made a lot of noise.
Her mission was simple: take out as many recruits as possible, give them few jumpscares, engage in combat with them if necessary, and above all, do not harm any of them too badly. Giving her the spring-loaded dagger back means that they actually trust her not to cut the recruits in pieces; she had to make sure she aimed for the least painful areas of the body.
Alice entered the back entrance to the obstacle course and immediately found many interesting hiding spots she could use. She noticed the Captains and senior agents busy creating a sort of obstacle course. Alice was told that, by the time everything was ready, the courtyard would have been turned into a faux battlefield. Torbjorn had designed several turrets that would be placed around the courtyard; they would shoot at any recruit that came within a certain distance. Their job was to disable those turrets before they were able to take out too many recruits.
There was a guy she hadn't met yet. He was also from Blackwatch; his specialty was throwing knives, and Captain Amari had asked him, just like her, to inspire a little fear in the recruits by throwing his blades at them, without actually killing them.
Alice had also been told that McCree and Genji were also taking part in the obstacle course, although she was unaware of their actual roles. Dr. Ziegler was stationed near that building, for obvious reasons. With her, however, was also a different doctor, though Alice didn't know who.
Alice stepped inside what was supposed to represent a destroyed building, with broken windows and many broken Omnic parts scattered about. Scanning her surroundings, she walked carefully on the rooftop of the building, the view from here gave her the best look at the incoming recruits and the obstacles they would face. Alice looked across the courtyard, impressed by how much they had accomplished in such a short amount of time. Scraps of metal lay strewn across the grass; Alice guessed that they were meant to resemble destroyed Bastion units. Alice noticed several of Torbjorn's turrets hidden within more metal around the courtyard, disguised as Null Sector OR14 units. She couldn't help but smile at the creativity and hard work put into this test.
The group of remaining recruits; which was already considerably less than they had when Alice was there on the first day, stood gathered near the beginnig of the course.
"Don't let your guard down! They may be rubber bullets, but they still pack a punch!" Captain Amari gestured towards the man who stood beside her, who then lifted his shirt to show the group a scar on his stomach. "You don't wanna get hit by one."
Alice took the time to check her own blades, excitement buzzing through her. She felt as though she was back where she meant to be; instead now she was no longer killing out of cold blood, she was helping the world in her own small way.
The shrill sound of a whistle blowing met her ears, and she looked down to see the group of recruits quickly disperse. Some ran immediately towards the cluster of turrets, while other disappeared into the training dojo in the middle of the courtyard.
Making herself invisible, she entered the building that was connected with others. The recruit who managed to enter the main ruined building in the center would have to find the exit within it. And believe me, this whole place was built to look like a fricking maze.
Alice watched as three recruits entered the building and like idiots seperated from each other. She had a distinct plan and was near two recruits who walked into the same room twice, clearly lost. With a bloody smirk, she quietly landed on another ruined wall that was just ahead. She watched closely as they got closer, surprised that they hadn't noticed her yet.
One of the recruits felt a small shiver down his spine and slowly looked towards his friend nervously, "We haven't seen someone in a while..."
"Mhm..." The other male nodded, moving slightly closer to his friend.
'Fake blood tastes disgusting.' Alice thought, pulling a grimaced expression as her tongue accidently brushed the fake blood around her lips. The pair continued and were now directly above her. With a quick blink, she leaned backwards and carefully hung on the ceiling, having her web connected to her leg and the ceiling. Dancing like a spider, she waited until she faced them before making her yellow eyes glow brightly and flicker in the dark, casting the only light on the two figures in the dark room.
"Let's have some fun--!" Alice said in Khai-Ja's voice with a cynical smile, both recruits witnessed her blood filled hands and the blood that slowly ran down her leg.
The other man screamed and immediately started running, not waiting for his friend. What surprised Alice was the punch flying in her direction that she caught with her hand, tilting her head at the man in front of her.
"Oh~ Finally some real fun! You don't know how boring it is to sit on the ceiling and watch people, I want some action!" Excitement shone in her eyes as she pulled the confused male to her and headbutted him. Before the recruit's head could hit the hard floor, Alice caught him by his collar, groaning as she realized he was unconscious.
"Come on, I didn't hit you that hard, did I?"
The male has lost consciousness due to the contact with our hard armor. Loss of consciousnessis a pretty sure sign of a concussion.
She sweat-dropped, "Tell the nice doctor about this and don't mention my name. Say that he tripped over some metal pieces and hit his head. I am not going to spend another hour listening to her lecture."
I find her lectures very entertaining. It's amusing to watch you struggle to keep up with her as the other agents. But I do think you should still be vigilant around her, Alice Smith.
"Do you always talk to yourself?" Alice jumped at the sudden voice behind her, letting out a startled shierk. She turned towards the source of the voice, surprised to find Genji leaning on the wall beside her. He was looking at her, the faintest hint of amusement shining in his red eyes. She wondered how long he had been there.
"When I believe I'm by myself, yes." Alice responded shortly, "I'm just having a bit of fun."
"You know, Morrison wouldn't be happy if he learned that you were giving his recruits slight concussions." Genji continued, and Alice couldn't help but wonder why is he so talkative. In fact, she wondered what he was doing there, in the maze, in the first place.
"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Alice questioned hesistantly.
Genji shook his head, and Alice let out a sigh of relief. "Your secret is safe with me."
Angela Ziegler has been contacted, and assistance will be arriving shortly. I do not sense any danger from the cyborg, but remain alert and continue the mission.
Alice nodded, and went to ask him what he was doing here, and why he was suddenly acting so friendly towards her, though it was as though Genji sensed her oncoming interrogation.
"I have to go." He flexed his cybernatic arm, and Alice's eyes widened as she noticed several shurikens appear from within his armor. He gripped them between his fingers, and turned to look at her. "No more sparing recruits." With that he jumped from the window. Alice gasped panickedly as she watched him fall to the earth, though he then seemed to jump in midair, launching himself towards a nearby building and latching onto the side. He easily scaled the side of the building, disappearing over the top and leaving Alice to stare after him with wide eyes. She shook her head in amusement and climbed out the window onto the top floor.
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.
Alice's breath fell from her parted lips in the form of a thick cloud, billowing out towards the night sky. She sat with her back against one of the maple trees near the training dojo, leaning back to look at the night sky through the bare branches of the tree. She stared at the fluffy creature that sat on one of the trees; it was an owl, though it looked much more different than the magic bird inside her head.
Alice's thoughts drifted as her eyes found her favorite constellation - the crow called Corvus, which had once been Tommy's favorite too, though he only knew it from the book she had given him before everything fell apart. She blinked away tears as she studied each tiny dot in the cluster of stars.
She let the armor melt away from her left hand, revealing the old carved numbers: S005H. Alice's thoughts then wandered toward her still-in-progress mission; she wondered how her biological parents were doing. Were they even still alive? If they were, did they miss her? Were they still looking for her? Hell, did they ever look for her?
One of her fears that would sometimes haunt her was the possibility of discovering that her parents and her brothers had simply given up on her when she disappeared, moving on with their lives as if they never even had a daughter in the first place.
Alice Smith, I think I found him. Alice was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of Khai-Ja's voice.
There are many individuals with the same name, or similar, but only a few caught my attention. With your description and the HD flashes of the last imprints your organic brain has experienced, I was able to recreate the image of the person you are looking for. Though I am unsure if it is 100% accurate. Using the internet, I found a few blurry photos of this person; every one of them had been taken in Hanamura.
Khai-ja proceeded to show her the recreation picture of the man that could be her brother or someone related to her family.
'Are you able to track him?'
It's hard. There is almost nothing about him on the Internet, and no camera recordings or phone recordings have been able to capture him. It's like he doesn't exist. In other words, he doesn't want to be found. I know, I have said it many times but you are not going to achieve anything here, this organization will be the thing that gets us killed. We have to leave, return to the Japan and continue our mission.
Alice was about to answer when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her, causing her to pull her eyes away from the sky and look up in surprise to find none other than Commander Morrison standing above her.
"You okay, kid?"
The question seemed to echo through her mind. For a moment, even she wasn't sure of the answer. Then, she had to debate whether or not she should tell Morrison the truth. He wasn't a counselor; she was sure that he was only asking her because it was his job to ensure the mental health of his agents, not because he genuinely cared. What surprised her even more was the genuine concern that shone in his light eyes.
"I'm fine," Alice responded shortly. She couldn't help but feel suspicious of the commander standing before her, as a result of having spent most of her life surrounded by only violence and pain, and distrustful people. She found it odd that the Commander of Overwatch had time for chit-chat in the middle of the night. As if he didn't have an international strike force responsible for the safetly of the human race to run.
Morrison squatted down so that he was eye level with her, surprising her. The man was all about formality, and the fact that he lowered himself to be on the same level as her, figuratively, was something that she did not expect.
"How're you holding up?"
'Why are you so concerned?' Alice thought to herself.
"We- I'm fine. It's better than a jail cell." She shrugged. "Although I miss my night runs."
'I miss my freedom.' Alice thought, though she didn't dare to say it loud.
Morrison sighed as he shot her a sympathetic smile,"You don't have to pretend anymore, kid. You can be yourself. Now is your chance to be the person you want to be. Running away from yourself won't solve anything; it will only cause more pain to yourself than it already is."
Morrison said, and his words caused her to visibly tense. She hesitated for a moment. She had tried so hard to not think about her mission, though it would always come back to her mind like a cockroach tickling her brain.She can't stop now; the people she has killed to gain information, she's gone too far. She wanted nothing more than to stop, but it was just impossible now that she was so close to uncovering the truth.
"Yeah." Alice rolled her eyes. She was touched by his words, though she didn't allow herself to show it.
Morrison watched her silently for a moment, thousands of unspoken words flashing in his gaze. It seemed as though he was holding back, stopping himself from saying more. Then, without saying anything, the Commander stood to his feet. He smiled down at the girl and waved goodbye, walking away without another word.
Alice stared after him in confusion, her lips pursed together in thought. He was right, Overwatch was her chance for a new beginning, a new her... the real her. She knew that even if she finished her mission, the blood she had spilled would always be her burden to carry with her for the rest of her life, though that did not meant that she couldn't try to wipe the red off of her hands. She could become the hero Overwatch wants her to be; the hero that helped protect the world from danger.
It was a difficult feat; she was aware of this, for once they realized her true intentions and her plan, it would be over, and she would spend the rest of her life behind bars. Thanks to the knowledge the owl gave her, she now knows what to do and where to strike; it's just a matter of time. With the Elders still breathing down her neck, even though they don't know where she is or who she's with, Alice realizes that she can never fully rid herself of her other side. Alice understands with a shiver that in order to become the hero she truly wants to be, the Elders and people associated with the Shimada clan must die.
They will never be truly free with all of them still alive. Sometimes murder is the right choice.
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"I got assigned to Blackwatch!"
Alice squinted her eyes as she was bombarded by the excited voice of Ava. She opened her eyes, only to find her clad from head to toe in an all-too familiar black uniform that Alice wore herself.
"That's great." Alice said in her usual monotone voice, though her tone didn't stop Ava from continuing.
"Recruitment was this morning. Commander Reyes came up to me himself and said that he wanted me on the team. I'm starting my official training right now." Ava beamed with pride.
Alice congratulated her friend; she hadn't thought about it too much but working with someone familiar in the same division sounded better than having to stick with another stranger for hours. Together, the pair entered the Blackwatch training room, Alice was surprised to find it already bustling with activity. She was used to it being just her, Reyes, McCree and Genji that the addition of the newest recruits made it seem almost too crowded. She wondered if now she will have to spend her training, sparring with them.
"What's on the agenda today, boss?" Alice asked Reyes. She had begun to grow more comfortable around the Commander.
"The newbies are gonna start off with basic training," Reyes answered, gesturing towards Ava that joined other recruits. "You, on the other hand, are graduating. Would you be up for a field mission?"
'Are you kidding me?' She thought, "I don't really have a choice, do I?" Although Alice was growing sick of being stuck behind the walls of Overwatch's base, going out into the field was something she wasn't ready for yet, either.
Reyes nodded slowly as if agreeing with her statement, "A word is an old omnium in Milan is showing signs of life recently, and we want to make sure that It's not another Null Sector breeding ground in the making. It's a stealth mission; you just have to sneak around and see if there is any suspicious activity going on there. You won't be fully alone, me, McCree and the ninja will be there, waiting while you do the work. You know how to use a gun, do you?"
"Sir, I don't think a gun will do much good against a Null Sector omnic, covered in nothing but metal and deadly weapons. I won't be surprised if one of them has a fucking laser." Alice said with a shrug, it was true, if they wanted her use a gun, give her something that could actually damage the Null Sector type omnic. She looked over at Genji, who stood beside McCree. His previously injured hand was now fully healed.
"I'm gonna miss beating you up all the time." As soon as the words fell from her lips, she regretted them. Preparing herself for a snarky remark, she hesistantly looked back at the cyborg, expecting to see annoyance in his eyes. She was surprised to find that, instead of annoyance, his red eyes shone with amusement.
"In your dreams." He responded and Alice was taken aback. Genji was, as McCree had told her several times before, a man of few words. It wasn't often she got a response out of him, much less a response that wasn't tainted with annoyance.
"When?" She then turned back to Reyes.
"In a few days," Reyes answered, taking out some sort of paper from his pocket and handing it to her, "Before that, I want you to have a basic medical check-up, and also give this note to Moira O'Deorain. She works at her office in the Research and Development room."
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.
.
'Of course, he couldn't say exactly where the doctor's office was located.' Alice thought as she walked away from the training grounds. The trip was surprisingly short, or maybe it was due to her mind being elsewhere. The entire floor was dedicated to the engineers and scientists; Alice felt uncomfortable as every person she passed wore a white lab coat. Every time she passed a stranger, her mind would mistake them for Ray, causing her hand to form into a blade. It was also where her spring-loaded dagger was currently being held captive by crazy scientists.
Alice knew where Angela's office medical room was located, she was there multiple times.
"Hello, Angela?"
"Oh, dear, come in, come in!" Dr. Ziegler replied while organizing some files in a nearby archive. Alice walked in slowly, closing the door but rested her back against it. It's not that she disliked the nice doctor, she was a very warm person,it had much more to do with her occupation and her room was full of things that panicked her the most and brought bad memories.
Needless, sedatives, blood, flesh, surgical and medical tools-
"Are you injured? Did you push the ninja too far, again?" Angela asked, snapping Alice out of her trance. She blinked, shook her head, and traced the carved numbers on her wrist as she spoke, "Reyes wants me to have a basic check-up just to make sure that I don't have any health problems and that I am ready for the field mission. Not excited about it, by the way."
Angela nodded as she walked towards a little chair and a bed and smiled softly at the girl.
"Would you please come here, Alice?"
Alice flinched automatically, and the doctor felt her chest tighten a bit, but shrugged it off.
Remain calm, Alice Smith, and go. If they try to hurt you, I will terminate them.
Alice cautiously walked towards the bed and stared at it for some seconds, then slowly sat on it, facing the door. Angela grabbed some files and a pen, letting the girl adjust at her own pace.
"I believe they've filled you in the basics of my problems and situation..."
Angela nodded, reading the files, then looking back at her. "Can you take off the suit? You can keep your mask on, but it would be better if it was off as well."
Alice stayed silent for the moment, having an internal conversation with Khai-Ja. The black and gold plates began moving on their own, melting, creating a strong smell of something burning as the black substance retreated back to the Scarab's shell on her back, leaving her Blackwatch hoodie slightly smoking. Alice removed her hoodie and placed it beside her on the bed. She stared at her hands, noticing for the first time dark veins moving beneath her skin. Angela stared at her and Alice shifted uncomfortably. There's silence, and Alice expect the usual round of "I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't want to offend."
Although Angela has seen her face many times, she had never asked her what happened, and Alice was deeply thankful for that.
"Ah, yes! I've been told about your whole situation and I need to make sure you're completely fine." She paused for a bit, and sighed, "I have no idea what, how, or by whom, made you end up like this, nor how it affected your body, and it clearly did," she said, pointing at my eyes and hands, "or the way your organism works... I would need to run some tests, but I can see that your experience with these things hasn't been the best, so I won't force you. If you wish to do so, we can also work little by little-"
"What kind of testing do you need...?"
Angela sighed, "Hair, saliva, and blood would be optimal, but due to your history, I think I could work with just the first two, if you don't want the blood thing. I don't like the idea of putting you through that. The last part will involve an assessment of eyesight, hearing, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, and an assessment of body posture in order to detect any possible defects."
Alice sat still for some minutes, trying to overcome the rising anxiety that threatened to throw her sanity away and run away from this place.
Don't give her access to your blood, and don't show her your back. If you do, questions will arise, and we may end up in a worse place than Overwatch is now.
"...Let's do it then. Saliva and hair. Blood, I can't, not yet."
Angela smiled, "Very well then! That will do, now please relax. We don't want the same thing to happen as it did the first time we met."
First, Angela brought a small flashlight and shined it carefully into Alice's eyes, though the girl pushed the flashlight away, blinking rapidly.
"Don't worry; my eyes are fine. They're just very sensitive to the light, so now they hurt." Alice said, rubbing them. "I have some sort of super vision, I can see things that are very far away and in total darkness, and that also makes me very sensitive to light." Alice explained as Angela wrote everything she said, "This is one of the reasons I wear my mask everywhere, It's design to protect my eyes."
"So that's why your room is so dark."
Alice blinked confused, "You were in my room? When-"
"That is not important!" Angela cut her off, clasping her hands, "I believe, the same goes for your ears and the sense of taste. I think for now, it's better if we skip the rest and begin the other tests."
Alice nodded, watching as Angela moved her hands across her skin, lifting them. "Oh, I didn't know you had a tattoo; it looks nice on you, although you shouldn't even have one at your age. I don't know how you managed to get one."
Alice laughed, unable to recall how she had got it on her arm in the first place; however, as Angela had pointed out, it did look quite nice on her.
"Your skin is unnaturally pale compared to what it should be, and what are these dark veins?" Alice tensed, feeling the doctor's fingers tracing the veins on her palm.
"I'm not exactly sure of their purpose, they just appeared out of nowhere. I didn't even know I had them. It's probably because of how rarely I remove my armor." Alice answered, shrugging.
Angela nodded, deeply in thought. "Can stand on that platform over there? I need to scann your vitals." Alice nodded, and followed the doctor, standing exactly where she wanted. Blue light scanned her from head to toe as it loaded slowly. Her attention was solely focused on her veins. She frowned at it, clenching her fists.
"Please don't move too much, dear." Angela said, noticing how the girl couldn't stop reacting at every sound and move the machine did.
Alice apologised and stood still as the blue light kept scanning her body. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to relax.
"Processing... Data complete."
Angela looked at the hologram of the girl's DNA confused. She furrowed her brows as she saw many of Alice's data going up and down. She looked closer and saw how her DNA was different. It looked like they were webbed together or when gum would be stuck in your hair? Like that.
"What is that?" She frowned, looking closer. "Alice, could you please remove your shirt?"
Alice asked, "Is there something wrong?" while trying to hide her nervousness in her voice, but it was pointless because Angela immediately caught on to it.
"No, no, I just need to make sure that you're all fine."
Alice nodds hesistantly, trying to ignore Khai-Ja's protests. She tensed, hearing Angela gasp.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Alice asks, faking confusion.
Alice froze, feeling the doctor's finger run over her back and trace over Scarab's shell, then It's legs. Khai-ja reacted instantly, its legs digging deeper into the host's flesh, and biting into the girl's back, causing her to flinch. Many black and yellow veins appeared on the Scarab's shell, electricity moving through them.
"When you said that you had an accident, I know It's a very sensitive topic to you but could you spare me more informarions, please?"
Provide plausible explanation.
Alice hesitated, opening her mouth to speak but immediately closing it, looking everywhere but at the doctor. The person who had been nothing but nice and kind to her, and never lied, while she was.
What bad can happen if one person would know? She was itching to tell someone about her problem, maybe Angela could help her understand Khai-Ja even more.
"For her own protection," Khai-ja's voice echoed through her mind, reminding her of the danger she could put Angela in, if she knew.
'But we have to start trusting someone, and she might be the best chance we've got.'
"Uhm, It's a long story." She started, fighting off Khai-Ja's attempts to silence her. "See, this armor kind of attached itself to me, I would love to tell you more but the suit dosen't exactly trust you..."
"Attached itself to you? Did you sneak into mad scientist's lab or something?" Angela sighed, "It looks parasitic," She mumbled, seeing the beetle's legs stabbing deep into Alice's back.
"First off... I get what you're talking about when you say it looks like some sort of parasite. Those glowing vines are a bit off-putting, and the fact that it's still moving, well, that's probably unsettling for you. But me? I had no idea that thing could fucking bite me."
I am only trying to make sure that my removal is impossible, and I am not a thing. Khai-Ja's shell filckered as she answered, making Angela widen her eyes and back off a little. And I'm going to pretend she didn't call me that, girl, because if I was a parasite I would have drunk you dry and gobble your cute little body by now.
"Is it... talking to you?"
"Always."
"Are you in pain?"
"No, not anymore. I don't know how to describe it, but I just feel empty most of the time, like all the life has been sucked out of me. There's this weird, annoying itch in my mind when I'm not thinking about the...mission. Other than that, it's very protective of me and doesn't seem to like people here."
Angela finally took her eyes away from her notes, concern shining in her eyes. "But what if It's parasitic? What if it only saved you so that it could continue to have a host?"
Alice had thought about it before but doubted it. If Khai-Ja really wanted her to die, it would have never tried to glue itself to her spine in the first place.
Host was compatible. If host was not compatible, I would have found someone else that was.
"Gee, thanks for making me feel special." Alice said to herself, ignoring the funny look Angela was giving her, "Look, it's not a parasite; It, er- she did nothing but help me. She healed my wounds and kept my sanity stable."
"Do you know what that is?-" Angela seemed to let her curiosity and scientist side get the better of her, questioning the girl even more.
Meanwhile, outside the medbay, Genji had finally finished the rest of the training session with the other new recruits, leaving them all exhausted and barely able to move.
Genji was silent. The sound of his hearbeat reverberating through his metallic chest was almost deafening. He stood in the doorway of Dr. Ziegler's office, ready for his daily examination, something he found unnecessary. After all, it was not as if the tests could change any damage done to his body. Genji was used to being alone, only with Angela when she needed to hook up to the machine that provided him with his necessary nutrients. He was surprised to find that the doctor was already busy with another patient, and out of everyone it had to be her. It seemed that he had opened the door too quietly, for neither of them noticed him.
"I don't know, dear, this thing, I have never seen anything like that before, maybe you should let Torbjorn take a look at it? It does look similiar to the artificial spine I built for Genji, but more advanced." Angela sighed, "Although that doesn't explain the look of it, a beetle? Why make it look like this, I don't understand."
Alice kept her eyes shut, as the doctor examined the scarab on the center of her back, feeling too vulnerable and exposed.
"I could try to find out exactly what this armor is, especially if it can think for itself, but that would require more tests and I know you aren't completely comfortable with these things."
Alice groaned, running both her hands down her face. "I'm sorry, I can't, not now. Look, can you please don't tell anyone about it? I can barely control it, and if the others find out, I'm pretty sure I will end up in area 51."
"Alice, for all we know it could be parasitic!" Angela exclaimed, worry evident in her voice, as Alice stood up from the bed.
"I must go and find Dr. O'Deorain; I need to give her something from Reyes." Alice put her shirt back, then her hoodie. "We're leaving."
"We?"
We?
"No! Dammit, this was a mistake, of course you wouldn't understand..."
It was a mistake; now terminate her before the mission is even more compromised.
'I can't just kill her-'
Fix your mess or I will fix it myself.
Alice stared at the wall, bringing both her hands to her face and sighing, "Dr. Ziegler, no one can know about it, and I mean it. If you tell anyone, you'll destroy everything I worked so hard for. I am so close to finding them, to finding my answers, and I am not going to be stopped by anyone, even you. I will fucking kill everyone in this building if I have to." Alice said, not realizing how dangerously close she had come to the doctor, and not noticing the needle she held tightly behind her back. "Admit it, Doctor." Alice said to her mockingly. "Overwatch wouldn't have sent their best people after me just to recruit me, if they didn't think I was useful. If they weren't afraid of me. I know all your little secrets, all the sick stuff your so-called heroes did in their past, everything that you all are trying so hard to hide, and a simple teenager managed to steal it all. Isn't that ironic?" Alice smiled, a sick smile that resembled the famous Joker's smile, but on a smaller scale.
"I'm so sick of listening to what people want me to be, telling me how my story is supposed to go." She said lowly, "What if I don't want to be a hero, what if I want to murder people, like the killing machine I was made to be? I don't think It's a problem, my hands are already scarred from murder." Multiple bug-like legs began to grow from her back. Black substance that had not yet fully hardened into metal dripped from the ends of them as they continued to grow, resembling misshapen bug legs.
"I've heard voices all my life, so loud it was impossible to think, and sometimes even painful. But now I hear the voice of a conscience, and It's terrifying, because for the first time It's my voice."
"Alice," Angela spoke softly, making the girl surprised at how calm she acted, as if her outburst was nothing she had ever seen before. She took a slow step towards her and reached out and grabbed her arm. Alice looked down at her hand, seemingly snapped into reality, "Alice, calm down, please..." Angela murmured to her gently. Alice met her gaze, her eyes softening for a split second before they hardened once more as she looked at small mirror hung on the wall.
"And you're not helping either," she said, staring at the blank eyes of her own reflection. She sighed, her shoulders shaking as she turned away from the mirror and looked at the closed door. The owl mask that was lying on the bed began to move on its own, slithering towards her like a snake made of water. Once again, it settled onto her face, joining the rest of the costume.
"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know?" Even though her voice remained emotionless and robotic, Genji held his breath as he slowly opened the door. He couldn't see her eyes, hidden beneath the Blackwatch hood, but he could feel her gaze burning into him. How did she know he was there? Or was that the red light on his cybernetic suit that he despised so much, gave him away?
Those two have heard enough, Alice Smith. It's clear that Dr. Ziegler is not going to cooperate with us, and Shimada was always a threat to us. Get rid of them; otherwise, they'll completely compromise your work and our mission.
"Holy crap, let me think for a moment," she muttered, holding her head. Genji looked at Angela confused, noticing that she understood what was happening. Angela put the needle on the table; she didn't want to sedate her, but for a moment she was sure that Alice was truly going to attack her, the girl's words just seemed so honest and cold. It was as if something different had taken the place of her patient, and she hated the feeling that she knew what it was.
Alice sighed, trying to think about anything other than what Khai-Ja was suggesting. She hated the fact that, if not for Genji, she would have probably hurt Angela. It was yet another reminder of how little control she had over her body now, and she was grateful that Khai-Ja was slightly damaged, otherwise she might have lost her own free will as well.
"Like I said, we-- I'm going." Alice passed by Genji, hiding both her hands inside her pockets. "Goodbye, Dr. Ziegler."
Not looking at them, she closed the door and quickly walked away from that place. Alice found herself wandering aimlessly, unsure of her surroundings. She eventually sat down on a chair, trying to clear her thoughts. She had never been in the Research Division of Blackwatch, apart from the very brief tour that McCree gave her, and few times when she visited Angela. After scanning her surroundings, it wasn't that hard to find O'Deorain's room.
The lab contained fancy doors that slid open the moment she stepped in front of them. Alice hesistantly foot inside the large open room, spotting the scientist standing in front of a table with her back to her. Alice tilted her head, noticing a pair of long white ears moving behind the scientist. Moira turned around to look at her upon her arrival, looking almost confused to see her there. She was a tall middle aged woman with pale skin and fiery red hair; she had heterochromic eyes, one blue and one bright amber.
Khai-Ja's senses flared drastically, making it difficult for her to breathe. "Hi," Alice said, trying to ignore the annoying itch in her mind. "I-- I have something from Reyes, he wanted me to give it to you." She said as she began searching through her pockets.
Moira looked at her in silence for a moment, seeming almost amazed. Alice shuffled her feet awkwardly under her prying gaze, wondering if she was intruding by coming to the lab unannounced.
"I've heard a lot about you, Smith." The woman finally said, her words laced with sophisticated accent. "You look different, did Reyes gave you this... suit?"
Alice shook her head, she couldn't shook away the feeling of danger, though nothing was happening. "No- no, I made it myself. I don't like other people complicating my work."
Moira hummed in response. Alice finally found the small note and gave it to the woman. Moira opened it, and her brows furrowed in deep thought before saying 'thank you' to her and dissmising her with a wave.
"Excuse me, but is that a rabbit? What are you doing to it?" Alice asked, tilting her head. Although part of her mind was telling to her to run away from that woman the other part, the childhish one wanted her to pet the pretty animal. And that side was winning over her common sense. Though her eyes narrowed as she noticed many different sized wires and two huge tubes full of glowing liquid. And all that stuff was connected to the animal.
"You're a curious one, aren't you?" Moira said, breaking her attention towards the rabbit. Alice snapped her head towards her so quickly that it almost frightened the scientist. Almost.
"This rabbit is helping me with my little project, which you might not understand. It's not the first one; it's the fifth one actually, and seems to be more useful than the others."
Alice was dead silent for a moment; only her shoulders moved as her eyes stared at Moira. Slowly, her eyes moved only for a second to glance at the computer behind the scientist before returning to look at her again.
Identity; Moira O'Deorain.
Moira O'Deorain is a brilliant but controversial scientist, mostly because of her unethical way of work. Interesting, she's on the cutting edge of genetic engineering, searching for a way to rewrite the fundamental building blocks of life.
'What do you mean, unethical?'
Over a decade ago, O'Deorain made waves when she published a controversial paper detailing a methodology for creating custom genetic programs that could alter DNA at a cellular level. It seemed like a promising step toward overcoming diseases and disorders and maximizing human potential.
Dissent among her peers soon followed. Many considered her work to be dangerous because of its perceived ethical shortfalls, and O'Deorain was even accused of having the same unchecked desire for scientific advancement that some believed had caused the Omnic Crisis.
'What is she working on?'
Nanobiology that is capable to accelerate healing processes.
'That-- dosen't sound so bad. I don't understand why your senses activated-'
She has been testing on Omnics. Fractures and even major damages in inorganic limbs and circuits have been able to completely repaired.
'That's still good-'
I have already downloaded the weapon's plan and other files into our Codex Library, so you can read whenever you want.
That's quite interesting; I am surprised that they didn't realize it already. Do Overwatch take random people into their ranks without checking their history? Isn't safety supposed to come first? I did not expect this organization to be so pathetic. It's just sad.
For Moira, it had been only a few seconds of staring at each other, but for Alice, minutes passed as she read every single file. Her eyes snapped wide in realization. Without saying even goodbye, she ran from the room, leaving the entire Research Division behind.
Is she mad? She thought, closing the files.
Then she looked through the window, seeing recruits training. How was that even possible, was Overwatch really that stupid?
What is she supposed to do?
A geneticist who cared only about the evolutionary advancement of humanity, she did absolutely everything to continue her work. Her breathing quickened as her mind drifted back to the unethical videos of her work. The person in those videos might have been even worse than Ray ever was.
Moira can't know about her problem, about Khai-Ja. Who knows what will the scientist do?
But how is she supposed to explain to the Reyes that his scientist is also a spy working for Talon and probably stealing vulnerable informations from them. He wouldn't believe her without proof, and she can't tell him without explaining how she managed to gain those informations in the first place.
Only Angela would understand.
But don't she works with Moira too?
Alice ran both her hands through her face, trying to think of what to do.
She really fucked up this time, didn't she?
