"So, how are you feeling?"
"Deceived."
"Oh, come now." The doctor, after discarding the syringe, was back at the table mixing brightly colored liquids in test tubes and beakers. "You can't stay angry with me forever."
That much was true. It was immediately after Genji calmed down from his assault that he vowed to never speak to her again, but here he was, a mere two minutes later. He would like to think that it came to a matter of his forgiving and kind nature, instead of his lack of will. He took solace in the fact that he was about to commit oral suicide and was fully prepared to do so.
Shame it did not come to that.
Mercy starting giggling to herself, her hands causing the chemicals she held to tremble. She had been doing that for a while now. Unable to restrain his curiosity any further, he asked, "what is so funny?"
At this, the doctor had to put down the beakers she was carrying for fear of spilling its contents. Her entire body was positively vibrating in silent amusement. "The way you—" Her mirth slurred her speech. She stopped and took a moment to collect herself. "The way you screamed, I'm sorry, I just—" She broke out in a fit of quiet laughter at the look on the cyborg's face.
"That did not happen."
"But it did," she pointed out.
"It will never leave this room."
"I've always been terrible at keeping secrets," she replied.
"Kill me," he requested.
"Later," she said.
The room was once again in a state of quiet. Genji listened to the sound of the beeping beside him which had since returned to levels within reason and the humming Mercy as she tinkered with flasks. He cursed himself for his brief moment of weakness. Still, there was the pressing issue which he could not seem to remember. What could he have forgotten? It was important, that he was sure.
"Doctor?" he started.
"Hmm?"
"Where was I before I ended up here?"
"I was informed you were on the west beach when I failed you."
"You did not f—"
She chuckled. "Oh, hush and rest."
"Who told you where I was?" he asked.
"It was Lena," she said fondly, "thank the heavens she was with you. She came all the way here to notify me of what happened."
"You were asleep," the cyborg remembered, "I apologize for waking you from your rest."
"Do not offer apologies where it is not due."
They shared another moment of silence. Genji found his thoughts drifting to the dream he had.
"Doctor, do you know who would do this to me, and why?"
Genji watched her back. The sound of tinkering glassware ceased. He moved his gaze to the ceiling, staring at the white concrete. "What must I have done, to deserve being maimed so and burnt alive?"
Only the beeping of the monitor filled the room now.
"I was a little girl when I realized the world was not fair," she finally said, "I was in school when I heard the sirens. I remember it well. The ear-piercing sound of jets flying overhead, and the shaking of the earth that always came with the explosions."
Her voice was calm and firm. "It was absolute bedlam in the streets. I, together with my class, was hurried into an underground bomb shelter with steel walls. We had no way of contacting the world outside. All we had was a radio."
Genji kept his silence.
"It was weeks before we got word it was safe to go outside. Where my home once stood was a pile of rubble. I was told the district in which I lived and my parents worked were where the first bombs hit. I was in school in a different district when it happened, my parents were not as lucky."
"Doctor…"
"It was then I realized the world was not fair," she continued, "and most of the time whether a person, whether it be a man, a woman, or a child, may live or die by the luck of the draw." Mercy turned round and gave him a sad smile. "Nobody deserves pain and suffering, Genji, but the world insists it happens. That's why I decided to be a doctor. That's why I'm here right now, with you. Trying to beat the odds."
She walked over and rested her hand on his armored chest. "There's a reason why you are alive with us right now, and the only way left to go is forward."
He studied the turquoise of her eyes. "I had a dream just now, doctor. I was running on beautiful grassy plains with my brother, and we both shared the most amazing sight. I feel ashamed that I do not remember him. We must have been very close. Tell me, what other family do I have? Would you happen to know his name? I am sure they must miss me."
The silence dragged on, begging for an answer. There was a curious look in his eye. It reminded Mercy of some of the children she's operated on, and how they were when they woke up. It was eyes full of grief and confusion, but a hope and gratitude so strong it overpowered everything else, warming her very soul.
She hesitated. "Genji, I—"
A resounding explosion rang throughout the building, shaking the room. Several apparatuses fell off the tables and stands, clanking against the linoleum floor.
"What was that?" asked Genji in consternation.
"Ah," breathed Mercy, "I was wondering when that might have happened."
"What's going on?!" cried the cyborg as another boom resonated around them. The table fell on the floor, shattering the glassware upon it and their contents.
"Well, there seemed to be several aircraft—"
"Aircraft!" shouted Genji, finally remembering, "There were seven aircraft headed here! We must get word to Winston, quickly! Before—"
"He already knows about it," interrupted the doctor as she patted dust off her coat, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to prepare for this." She looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder what is causing all this ruckus though?" The doctor walked over to the intercom and held down the button. "What's the situation, Winston?"
"Oh, Angela, it's you," came the static voice of Winston from it after a moment, "five of the unidentified aircraft have successfully been neutralized, but the remaining two managed to firmly lodge themselves into the west bay." The voice paused. "I just had it repainted too."
"Doctor, activate my limbs! We must get you out of here!"
"Is that Genji I hear?" asked Winston, mildly surprised. "Are you well?"
"Am I well?! Am I well?!" he shouted across the room, still unable to move. "The room is coming down around us! I am not well!"
"There is no cause for panic, Genji. You may reopen your wounds," advised the doctor.
"I am not panicking!" said Genji, clearly panicking.
"You didn't tell him?"
"He didn't remember. And there was no reason to worry him."
"I am still here!"
"And you will remain there and recover until we have this mess sorted out," replied the ape. "Reinforcements will arrive in twenty minutes, Angela. I've put the whole facility on lockdown, but your keycard will still have priority. Hold out till then, and get Genji on his feet."
"I understand." She lifted her finger off the intercom.
"Doctor Ziegler, my limbs!"
"It would be ill-advisable to bring them back online in your current state of mind," she responded, walking back to him. "I'm going to put you back under for a while and finish up. You'll be back out there in no time."
She pressed a button on one of the panels beside him. The cyborg immediately started feeling drowsy.
"You…" he mumbled, fighting to stay conscious, "not safe… must evacuate—"
She smiled kindly down at him. "You are very sweet, Genji."
That was the last thing he heard before the grasps of sleep embraced him.
Author notes
Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks for all the follows and favorites, along with the reviews as well! It really motivates me to continue writing this story born from a whim, and hopefully you'll enjoy this journey as much as I do, if I can articulate it well enough.
I just wanted to say the structure from here on out will be a little more different. In the past, I've written until I hit my arbitrary word limit, but now I'll try to go beyond that in favor of writing a fuller story which flows better. It might mean less frequent updates, what with my exams and stuff coming up soon, but I'll try my best, when the whim takes me.
Thank you all once again for reading, and I hope you will stay a while as I bring you along for this journey through the universe of Overwatch!
WINKEHFACE