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“It’s...it’s grim.”The doctor that stood above me shook his head slowly, his glasses reflecting the blue-lit holograph. He swiftly swept his thumb across his tablet, and I watched the holograph buzz and move with each swipe.My mother sat in the stool next to me with her expression glossed with fear. Her hand had clasped itself onto my forearm; I could feel her nails dig into my skin.“Even if we remove the mass that has formed in your frontal lobe, the possibility of regrowth is still high. I'm afraid..” he hesitated, only meeting my gaze for a moment before retracting.My heart skipped a beat as a cold sweat stung my neck.“..so, no matter what, I’ll just die?” I finished his thought.“No, no-” he backtracked quickly, “-without treatment, I will give you three to six months. However, with removing the majority of the mass, that can greatly extend the quality and span of your life-let’s say, it can give you one to three more years.”“One to three? One to fucking three?! That’s-that’s not enough! You can’t live a lifetime in that amount!” my mother shot up out of her chair with her voice trembling.“Ms. (L/N), I’m sorry but this is the most realistic outcome. Without the consideration of nanobio-”“I’m not letting you allow my child to die just because you can’t put biotech-bullshit in (her/his/their) skull! What about radiation treatment! Chemotherapy?!” my mother’s voice increased in volume and desperation. Her composure, the one she had held for the past year since the diagnosis, was cracking. My chest tightened and I slowly reached for her with a trembling hand.The doctor had the tablet clutched to his chest at this point, creating a static fuzz within the holograph.“Even if (Y/N) continued those treatments, it still won’t be enough. Radiation therapy has never been safe, nor will ever bring a forsure cure. I need for both of you to understand that, without considering nanotechnology, you will die.” the doctor firmed his tone and looked directly at me. I met his gaze as my mind raced with bleary, confused thoughts.I already had eight rounds of chemotherapy. My hair had fizzled and fell, my body had thinned and weakened, my skin had paled. Maybe it was the brain fog, but I couldn’t recall the last time I enjoyed a night out, or ate something that didn’t make my stomach churn. I couldn’t remember the last time I was able to think straight enough to know how to read data and what felt like mechanical nonsense at my internship. I just..couldn’t remember me. I have been living as a shell of myself for the past eight months, yet the mass in my head hasn’t moved. It hasn’t even budged.Tears rolled down my mother’s face, blushed with frustration. I knew that she distrusted the new innovations of this new medical technology, as some people had fatal reactions to the invasive procedures. I also knew that losing her own mom to this same horrific disease had scarred her, and that losing me would destroy her. I broke my gaze with the doctor and stared at my mom’s fingernail marks that embedded into my frail skin.“I..I want to try the procedure. The nanobiological one,” I said. My mother whipped her head to face me with mouth agape and fear-tinted eyes.“(Y/n), we can’t just-”“But..” I interrupted her softly, “..but I don’t want just anyone to do it. I want the best. I need to make sure that I-both of us” I gestured towards my mom, “will make it out of this okay-with full recovery.”The doctor glanced between us with pursed lips, but I watched as the tension from his shoulders sag. He let out a lengthy sigh before pressing his glasses back up his nose.“If it helps ease your worries, I will see what I can do” he stated, “but I cannot promise miracles. You will receive some of the highest care in Europe here-with or without outside nanomedical help.”My mother and I exchanged glances. I watched her as she searched for a response. Her lip quivered, and her hands tightened to fists.“...I just need (her/him/them) to live. Just ensure that, please.” she placed her hand onto mine, looking up at the doctor with teary eyes.The doctor nodded.“Of course. I will ensure it.”
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Snow fell across the gray sky. The wind seemed to swirl through the air freely, taunting me, as I sat encaged within the tubes and wires plastered across my body. I slowly turned my attention back to the news report mumbling on the television.Contrary to what the doctor said, a miracle did happen. Within the week, I was contacted for the nano-biotechnology procedure by a team of one of the most highly qualified medical professionals in Switzerland. We were boarded on the next available train, and prepped for surgery within 48 hours.My mother had stepped out momentarily when there was a knock at the door. A woman peeked her head inside, locked eyes with me, and gave a gentle smile before fully opening the door. She was a taller, blonde woman with soft eyes and a clipboard pressed to her chest. She made her way to me in slow strides; it felt like she was glowing with warmth.“Hello, I’m Dr. Ziegler, head of nanobiology and medicine. It’s pronounced..” she glanced at the clipboard before back at me, “..(Y/n), yes?”I nodded my head with a polite smile.“Ah, a lovely name” she hummed as she pulled a chair to the bedside and seated herself, “I’ve been going through the information your oncologist sent us. A mechanical engineer-quite impressive! Have you delved into any nanomechanics?”A heated hue rose to my face as I glanced away sheepishly. “Well..not really. I would have dealt with them at my internship, but my..diagnosis..” I trailed off.“Oh, yes, of course,” Dr. Ziegler murmured with a slow nod, “that must be quite frustrating.” I only responded with a small “yeah”.The doctor placed her hand on my shoulder, and a warm smile rose to her lips. I couldn’t help but feel so much comfort from her presence, even though I had just met her.“I promise you will get your life back,” she stated. Another smile rose to my expression-this time more genuine.“Thank you.”
The next time I woke up it was with a pounding headache. A blur of a figure stood above me. I felt paralyzed-or, if I was having some out of body experience. My headache only got worse by the minute, and cold flashes ran down the side of my face.Something was off.“..think...(Y/n)....success...”Someone was talking, but it felt like it echoed from miles away. My vision wasn’t clearing, and my confusion was slowly inching to panic.I darted my blurred gaze to my right, where another figure sat. Upon my eye movement, the figure stood quickly. A familiar voice exclaimed my name. I think...my mother?I wanted to rub my eyes, but I found myself still caged by tubes and wires. Her cold, clammy hand cupped my face. It ached.“Sweetie, (Y/n), can you hear me?” my mother asked in a hushed tone. A male voice asked her to give me space, but another familiar voice told him to leave her be.I grunted in approval, raising my arms again to clear my vision. My mom replaced her hand onto my forearm, slowly guiding it back down.“Oh, don’t move..not right now” my mother’s tone trembled.“Here, let me assist,” the other familiar voice hummed. I only was reminded of who it was when they dabbed my right eye softly, revealing the blonde doctor from my procedure. The first clear sight I saw was Dr. Ziegler giving me her warm smile.“(Y/n), it is good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”“My head..isn’t great” I groaned hoarsley. Dr. Ziegler nodded slowly.“It will take time, but the pain will ease,” she explained, “The procedure was a success. The cancer has been completely swept.”I felt my heart skip a beat. A wave of relief crashed over me, and I opened my mouth to speak-“However,” the blonde doctor continued speaking. She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at my mom who refused to meet her gaze.“We..we had to remove your left eye, as well as your left sphenoid and temporal bone.”Another flash of cold fell to the side of my face..except it wasn’t my face. It was hard and rigid. I tried scrunching up my left brow, but it wouldn’t budge. In fact, I couldn’t sense any of my left eye socket, temple, or side of my head. Dr. Ziegler continued explaining as this new information sunk in.“..we are currently working on a bionic eye for you to use, as your optic nerve was not damaged. It may be uncomfortable at first but I know with physical therapy it will feel like...” her phrase drifted off as she noticed my change in demeanor. Even just after waking up from the invasive procedure, the horror on my face was evident.Dr. Ziegler shook her head slowly with a sigh and took my hand. “...well, to be truthful, it will be different. We didn’t intend on removing your eye, but the mass had stem itself to your macula. I don’t expect you to feel as you were before the cancer, but I can ensure that you will feel better,” she leaned close to me, “I will be here for you every step of the way.”I stared at her, with my only eye. Her blue eyes were comforting, engrossing true empathy on her face. Both of us knew that this was my best outcome, even if it wasn’t what I wanted. But, the mass was gone, and I could go out again. I could eat food without retching it back up hours later. I could make sense of the data I could only consider mechanical nonsense. I could be me.“Okay,” I croaked out, then hesitated, “..can I, see? Myself?”The doctor gave a firm nod and stepped to the bedside table to grab a hand mirror. I glanced at my mother, who gave me a sweet smile, but her smile didn’t meet her eyes.Dr. Ziegler held the mirror up to me, and I stared silently.My head had been completely shaved for the surgery. Bandages wrapped my bald head, and my skin edging the covered areas were already starting to redden and bruise.My left eye was covered, but I could still see it. I could still see the dull, silver metal peeking out from under the cloth patch. Another cold flash approached.I smiled wearily. Dr. Ziegler smiled back.I could finally live my life again.
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< Five Years Later >My nerves were exploding. While watching the mountains move through the train’s window, I couldn’t help but fidget my fingers. My foot tapped mindlessly against the floor. I was drowning in my whirlwind of thoughts until a finger firmly tapped my shoulder.I whipped my head to turn to my coworker, and commuter buddy, Carina. She cocked her head at me with a concerned scowl.“Is your head bothering you?” she asked, gesturing to her own left side of her face. I shook my head.“No, not a migraine. Just nerves,” I hummed back. She gave an approving ‘ah’.“Don’t bother yourself with anxiety until later this week, (Y/n). They are pushing back announcing any promotions until Friday,” Carina explained. It was then my turn to cock my head in concern.“Since when? I never got that memo,” I explained. She raised an eyebrow.“Really? You haven’t seen the posters? The announcements?”I shook my head sheepishly.Carina ‘tsked’ at me teasingly before going to rummage into her bag. I watched her jet black bob bounce along as she searched. Eventually, she pulled out a folded up paper, which revealed a rather large poster once she unfolded it:ENGINEERS WANTED! NANOBIOLOGY, NANOMECHANICAL, AUTO-MECHANICS, AND MORE! OVERWATCH RECRUITMENT CONFERENCEOCTOBER 18-19, 2056 | CYTVIA HQ | LINZ, AUSTRIAA rather American-looking man was pictured, pointing at us. He was blonde, smirking, and built like a war machine. I sneered.“That’s..different..” I stated slowly. Carina had a bright smile plastered onto her glossed lips.“It is, and it’s exciting! I’ve always wanted to work at an Overwatch base. It brings quite a lot of opportunities, and its foundation creates change on such a global scale,” she held the poster up, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the soldier-man printed on the poster. I couldn’t help but chuckle.“Are those your only persuasions?” I taunted, gesturing towards the man in the poster. A red hue rose to her cheeks as she giggled.“Ah-well, I’ll admit, he’s rather handsome,” she continued giggling, “but I am serious about the global opportunities. I think you should look into them as well!”“Oh..I don’t know,” I shook my head, “I’m just getting back on my feet financially, and making such a big career change would be..plus, with the anticipation of maybe a promotion at Cytvia-well, I’m just not sure.”Carina shrugged. “You’re quite a talented mechanical engineer, (Y/n). Don’t feel the need to stay within Cytvia forever. Plus.. with-” she hesitated, then glanced away, “oh-nevermind. That would be inappropriate to say..”“You can say it. I won’t be offended.”“Well,” Carina glanced hesitantly, “with your anomaly, you would catch the eyes of the recruiters. Overwatch does have a tendency to steer towards people who are familiar with nanobio-tech and its invasive procedures. Plus, with your ability, you would make a rather golden candidate for their engineering team.”Outside fell black as we entered a tunnel. I caught my reflection in the window. Although most of the scarring was faded, its presence on my left cheek and bridge of my nose was evident. The metal palate that replaced my left socket could be seen from miles away. The palate disappeared behind my ear, but if you touched it, you could feel the cold steel. I looked into my bionic eye; it’s color matched my real eye, but you could still see a hue of red light in a dim-lit environment.Carina was right. Because of the nanotechnology that replaced my eye, my visual-processing abilities were much quicker than most. Although this ability didn’t affect much in my everyday life, it did help me immensely within my career. The only downside of it, however, were the frequent migraines. I continued staring at my reflection until I noticed Carina shuffling in her seat.“I think you should consider it,” she hummed as I glanced back at her. “After all, we only live once. You might as well find a change of pace instead of pursuing the same place forever.”I gave her a smile.“I’ll consider it.”
The first thing that caught my eye when entering the lobby was the gigantic ‘WELCOME TO CYTVIA, OVERWATCH!’ banner draping across the catwalk.The lobby was bustling with people. Echoes of conversation filled the air: loud english, hushed german, strict slavic. Carina and I exchanged curious looks before continuing our way towards the elevator.When arriving at our lab floor, we were met with more unfamiliar faces amongst the group of coworkers we coincide with daily. I gave Carina a heartfelt goodbye before heading towards my post. However, when approaching, I noticed my floor manager, Martin, waiting nearby with two unfamiliar figures. He was chatting heartily with them before catching my gaze and waving me over.“Good morning, (Y/n)! Come, please join us,” he exclaimed, “I would like to introduce you to the members from the Overwatch recruitment committee: Dr. Zhang and Sergeant Mahler.”I presented a polite smile and a nod. Dr. Zhang bowed his head as well; he was a tall, thin man with an extended brow. His eyes stared at me with what seemed as curiosity, but it came off as intimidation. Sgt. Mahler gave me a wide smile and placed her hand out to shake. Her eyes definitely weren’t as intimidating as the doctor’s; in fact, they seemed to be glimmering with excitement. I took her hand and she shook it firmly.“It is wonderful to put a face to the name. Your supervisor was quite elated to mention you and your talents,” she explained. I gave a sheepish nod.“Oh, you’re too kind. I truly just enjoy the work, that’s all,” I replied. Sgt. Mahler’s smile only grew.“Tell me, (Y/n), does your biotechnological eye affect your work?” Dr. Zhang suddenly stated. Martin and the sergeant exchanged glances of surprise as the doctor stared at me intently. I felt a blush form on my face.“W-well,” I stammered, “it definitely doesn’t create difficulty, if that’s what you’re implying.” The doctor replied with an intrigued hum.The air around us fell into an awkward silence before my supervisor broke it with a forced cough.“Yes, well-” Martin started, “no matter that; (Y/n) is one of our most efficient and quality engineers here. (Her/His/Their) work expands into a variety of our fields, which makes them such a valuable worker.”Sgt. Mahler swept her red curls out of her face as she focused her gaze back onto me with another grand smile. “(Y/n), would you be interested in coming to the recruitment conference we’re holding tonight in the lobby?” she asked, “I would love for you to meet some of the heads of our engineering and mechanic teams.”My heart fluttered out of my chest at the thought. Before I could rationalize the invitation in my head I blurted out a ‘yes’. Sgt. Mahler clasped her hands together in approval as her smile only grew.“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, “I look forward to seeing you there.”I nodded, but my stomach churned with anxiety. A part of me felt like I was getting the sergeant’s hopes up to become a new recruit for Overwatch as I still wanted to stick with my upcoming promotion. However, another part of me felt this opportunity would bring a new light into my life-like a sense of fresh air. I bit the inside of my cheek.Gosh, what did I get myself into?
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“(Y/n), is that all that you’re wearing?” Carina asked.After getting ready for the recruitment event that evening, I stopped by Carina’s townhome so we could walk to the trainstation together. I looked down at my outfit, a simple pantsuit, then back up at her in confusion.“..yes?” I replied hesitantly.“You sure know how to hide in a crowd,” she hummed. Carina had decided on a floor length skirt and a silk button up. She looked lavish. “I just thought it would be, well, business formal,” I explained.“I guess,” she replied, then handed me a silver necklace embedded with what looked to be small black jewels. “Here,” she said, “put this on-it’ll elevate your look. We need to get going so we can catch the train.”I didn’t question it, as I didn’t care to, and placed the piece around my neck as we headed out to the station.The Cytvia lobby’s atmosphere had completely changed compared to earlier in the day. Its corporate demeanor turned into a glitz, shimmering ballroom-like aesthetic with its dim, warm lighting and smooth jazz swirling through the air. I never thought it had the ability to be stunning.A small podium was temporarily installed next to the floor length windows in the back of the lobby. People were bustling about with an arrangement of languages flourishing in the air. People of all sizes, figures, and bionics passed by. It was the first time that my bionics made me feel as if I fit right in.“Goodness, the security measures they have..” Carina murmured. I glanced at where she was staring, then my brows furrowed curiously. Security guards, or soldiers, or whatever they were, stood intimidatingly at each exit. They held stoic yet alert expressions, and held weapons you would only imagine came from sci-fi movies. They really did take their safety seriously.I scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Sgt. Mahler was spotted near the podium talking within a group. Martin, along with some of my coworkers, were intermingling with unfamiliar people. Dr. Zhang stood among a group of people on the podium. A man with a mask of steel and swart, dark hair stood by him. He wore a suit, but his figure seemed to poke out of it in jagged, peculiar areas. Next to him was a tall, blonde woman-Wait.I felt my bionic eye zoom ever so slightly, then clear. My breath hitched.“(Y/n)?” Carina asked, placing her hand on my shoulder with a worried gaze.“Th-that woman,” I explained breathlessly, “I know her!”“The blonde? On the podium?” she asked, squinting across the lobby. I nodded vigorously, with my head spinning with countless memories. It felt like a ghost of my past was here to haunt me-no, an angel of my past here to bless me.I started taking hasty steps towards the podium until Carina grabbed my arm again, this time with more force. “(Y/n), wait, I’m confu-”The podium’s microphone interrupted the room with its squeal of feedback. That familiar voice echoed across the lobby.“Good evening, everyone,” she stated. The crowd murmured, then its mass slowly shuffled towards the back of the lobby. Carina and I glanced at each other, then followed suit.I felt a flutter of joy when we reached closer to the podium. I had scooted my way through the crowd to get near the front, still having Carina holding onto my arm. Dr. Ziegler stood at the podium, gleaming. Dr. Zhang and the masked man stood at her side.I truly never thought I would see her again. It felt like a miracle.“I’d like to thank all of you for joining tonight’s conference. It is quite the honor to be hosting this event at such an enormous entity of the nanomechanic and biomechanic fields. I’d like to start off by expressing..”I let my eyes explore the sight that stood before me as Dr. Ziegler continued on with her gratitude speech. I caught the eyes of Sgt. Mahler, who stood nearby in the crowd. She gave me a polite nod and her sweet smile. I smiled back.My eyes caught a glimpse of movement from behind the sergeant-from outside. Through the floor-length windows, a brustle of branches moved stiffly, then stopped. I watched closer.A dark figure ran across swiftly. They disappeared into the shadows of the bushes.“Carina..” I whispered. Carina glanced my way with a raised brow. “There’s someone out there,” I continued, nodding towards the edge of the garden present within the windows.Carina’s expression changed into a concerned scowl.The bushes rustled again ever so slightly, then an audible click was heard across the lobby.My stomach churned. Something was wrong.I felt my heart rate spike as I swiftly scanned the lobby. The doctor’s voice continued to echo across, but her words slowly morphed into incomprehensible buzzing as my adrenaline pooled. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary-no one was moving, the security hadn’t even budged. My eyes swept towards the podium. Everyone seemed to be standing so still. I glanced at the steel-masked man. He was already looking at me with curiosity. Then, it caught my eye.A flickering light. It was coming from under the barring of the podium. No, not flickering-beeping. Orange beeping. What would be beeping?My vision cleared more. Another light sat beside the orange beep. Numbers. It was counting down from 19, to 18...17..16-Oh my god.My body moved before I could even process it. My mouth couldn’t form the words from shock, but I pointed. I pointed so viciously that heads turned towards me with furrowed brows. It took a moment, but when I found my voice, it boomed across the lobby.“Bomb! A- bomb-look!” I cried out.People started backing away-unsure whether to believe the person suddenly shouting in frenzy. Then, Carina saw it. She screamed. Her shrieks broke the room into straight panic.People started running. The guards tried opening the nearby exits, but something lodged them stuck. The only other door was the automatic entrance at the very front-what seem to be miles away in the panic-struck lobby.I started a bolt towards the front of the lobby, but amongst the cries I heard Carina wail a curse. Whipping my head around, I saw someone had stomped her foot amongst the chaos, leaving her ankle twisted in an unimaginable angle. As the crowd around us depleted and started making it outside, I found myself running back towards the podium for her.It was as if the world around me diminished. The air became calm, and I felt my movements decay from its panic to smooth and calculated. I hooked Carina from under her arms and scooped her up onto my back with a heavy breath. I hadn’t carried this much weight in a very long time, so I found my knees buckling suddenly, but I held my ground. With gradually increasing speed, I made my way towards the front of the lobby.By this point it was empty. Glass had found itself scattered across the tile within this mess. I realized that, with this pace, neither of us would make it.My prior panic had engulfed me with a pounding migraine, and my legs were giving out. I was given a second chance at life, and it dawned on me that I would be okay if it now ended here, working in a city that I love saving the people that I’ve grown close to.Mustering up my remaining strength, I flung Carina off of my back and towards the lobby doors. I collapsed to my knees with heaving breaths as I watched her body skid across the floor, then caught by a man who was just feet away from the lobby door. He grabbed her and flung her outside; both of them were engulfed by the black of night.My head hung low, staring down at my trembling hands. My vision started to blur from this profound migraine.This was it. My time was up. I did what I needed to on this earth, and now I needed to depart.Well, until suddenly,I felt someone ball the back of my suit jacket into a fist. My body was fiercely flung, and my back slammed into a hard, metal chest. I felt an arm wrap itself around my waist tightly-almost squeezing-as we moved quickly across the lobby. My head felt like it was going to burst, and my vision only got worse.Then, with a thunderous boom, the lobby erupted in flames.
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Ringing. My ears wouldn’t stop ringing.I instinctively cupped my ears. The migraine was suffocating any coherent thought. and I furrowed my browns in agony.The lobby lights completely shattered in the blast. Sporous flames scattered about the lobby, growing by the second. A chorus of sirens was heard in the distance.The arms that had wrapped themselves tightly around me once the blast struct started to loosen. I raised my gaze slowly to their face, then my eyes widened.The man with the steel mask was looking down at me with wide eyes. His face and neck was covered with soot and was blistering from the heat. Shredded cloth that was once his fitted suit sagged in clumps across his broad shoulders.“Are you hurt?” he asked between breaths. I couldn’t think clearly enough to answer verbally, so I shook my head slowly with a grunt. His wide, startled gaze was locked onto mine.A voice shouted at us from afar. I broke away from his eyes to shift my focus to our left, where multiple figures were running straight at us. As they got closer, I realized that the leading figure was Dr. Ziegler.“Genji! Your arm!” she exclaimed. I hadn’t noticed before, but when I returned my attention to the masked man, Genji, I realized the plastic palates that covered his right arm had splintered. The plastic had burst from the heat, liquifying and oozing.The doctor crouched beside us while quickly shimmering her jacket off of her back. She tore its hem, and used it as a makeshift gauze-tourniquet for the plastic ooze.“Here- keep pressure on this,” she explained in a breath while wrapping the masked man’s arm. Dr. Zhang, one of the figures that had followed the blonde doctor, pulled me from Genji’s grasp onto the stained tile next to him.“Excuse me, are you hurt? Do you have-” Dr. Ziegler tightened the wrap around Genji’s arm before glancing my way, only for her breath to hitch at the sight of me. “Oh my goodness...(Y/n)?” her firm demeanor morphed into shock, then melted into delight.I gave a half-hearted smile as my migraine was starting to turn into an consistent, yet less intense, ache buzzing in my forehead. She cupped my face with her hands, mouth agape, before pulling me into a gentle hug.“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t even recognize you..it’s been so long-” she pulled away suddenly, turning her attention to Dr. Zhang, “these two need medical treatment. Let’s get out of here before we burn to bits.”Dr. Zhang nodded firmly. “Go-take them to the ambulances outside. I’ll do damage control for the unharmed,” he stated.I allowed my body to be pulled up onto my trembling feet by Dr. Zhang. Although I could walk, my movements felt like they were depleting any ounces of energy remaining.We were shuffled to the plethora of flashing lights outside. Policemen and the Overwatch officers intertwined their damage control procedures, as the crowd of victims and bystanders were held back with caution tape and physical interference. The paramedics created their own area of medical relief for people scratched, bruised, and bleeding.As Dr. Zhang departed towards the crowd, Dr. Ziegler pushed me and the masked man towards one of the ambulances, where a paramedic were afoot. She ushered us into the back of the ambulance with cautious urgency, and before I could process what was happening the door shut and we were moving-sirens ablaze.
I found myself in a familiar stressful situation: encased in wires and tubes on a retractable hospital bed. Unbeknownst to me until my arrival at the medical center, I had also suffered some severe blistering and wounds from the heat of the blast. By this point though my migraine had faltered and a heavy weariness fell upon me.A knock at the door interrupted my incoherent thoughts. Dr. Ziegler slipped through the door then closed it behind her softly. She gave me her warm smile as she approached.“It’s great to see you again, but I wish it would be under different circumstances,” she stated with a lighthearted chuckle.“We can consider it an ironic fate,” I hummed. She chuckled, shaking her head. She met my eyes again, but her smile faltered into a stoic expression.“(Y/n), you saved my life with your visual agility-no you saved hundreds of lives tonight. Do you realize that?”I stared at her blankly, then slowly shrugged.“I was...just doing what anyone else would do,” I replied softly. The doctor grabbed my bandaged hand and gave it a light squeeze.“You would think that, but it isn’t usually the case,” the corners of her mouth formed another smile, “you have true heroism in you-a real gift of protecting others.”I felt myself blush and I looked away sheepishly.“(Y/n),” the doctor leaned close to me, almost talking above a whisper, “I would like to recruit you as a medical engineer for the Overwatch Headquarters.”My eyes widened; it felt like my heart would leap out of my throat. I started shaking my head.“I..I can’t. I’m only alive because of that man-Genji. Physically, I won’t be able to work at such a place,” I stammered.“Physical agility can always be improved, but mental ability has its barriers,” Dr. Ziegler explained, “your visual abilities, coincided with your engineering talents and determination to protect? That’s one in a million. Please-know that I wouldn’t ask you to join Overwatch if I didn’t think you had the capabilities to.”The memory of talking to Carina on the train earlier today flashed through my mind. Her giddy smile, holding up the poster of that war-machine, smirking man.‘After all, we only live once. You might as well find a change of pace instead of pursuing the same place forever.’ her words echoed through my thoughts.I recalled the last time I found myself in this position-where I sat in a hospital bed trapped under a construct of wires and tubes. I had finally been freed from my fatal disease and given a second chance at life. Maybe this was the universe’s fucked up way of telling me that I’m being brought another chance to change my life for the better.My lips pursed as I glanced back at the blonde doctor. She watched me intently.“..I think I’ll give it a chance,” I replied.A smile rose on Dr. Ziegler’s lips. She placed her hand into mine, giving it a firm shake.“Then, welcome to Overwatch, (Y/n).”
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After a week of countless background checks, blood tests, DNA sampling, etc., I had finally gotten the confirmation to start at the Overwatch HQ in Switzerland. I had talked to Martin privately about my departure, which he was pleased to hear about (not that he wanted to get rid of me-more so proud that I was, in his words, ‘expanding my wings’). Afterall, because of the incident, the main Cytvia facility was shut down for reconstruction, causing many people having to move its nearby sister facilities in the meantime.Dr. Ziegler, who now insisted I call her by her first name, Angela, explained to me the procedures of working within Overwatch: I would be on a three-month probation period within the facility, where I would be required to stay within the dormitory area amongst other probationary workers. The evaluation at the end of the three months would determine if I would continue onward within Overwatch. She assured me that it was for merely safety precautions and that I would pass ‘with flying colors’, but the thought of every job and task being scrutinized by the higher ranks was still quite anxiety-inducing.I found myself at Carina’s townhome with my suitcases in tow. I knocked on her door as the chilled October breeze danced around me. After a couple moments, the door creaked open. Carina greeted me with a sweet smile.“Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked her. Carina’s foot was encased in a cast, and she was currently dependent on crutches for mobility. She gave me a half hearted shrug as she welcomed me inside.“Eh, I’ve definitely been better,” she hummed, “but I’ve amounted quite the collection of ‘get well’ gifts.” She lazily gestured towards her dining table, where a rather sizable pile of flowers, cards, balloons, snacks, and gift bags were presented. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Carina chuckled too.We settled down on her couch, her laying her crutches in the couch crevice between us.“(Y/n),” she started, shifting herself to face me, “I would like to thank you-”“Ah-no, please,” I interrupted her. Carina’s eyes widened. “Don’t thank me for helping you, really. You’re my friend. I’d do it all over again if I need to,” I continued.Carina opened her mouth to respond, hesitated, then pursed her lips. Her dark eyes started to tear up.“Of course you would,” she replied tauntingly, wiping her eyes. I retorted with a playful eyeroll.“Nonetheless, I appreciated it-even though you most definitely would have died without,” she paused, a smirk creeping across her lips, “outside interference.”An image of the masked man, Genji, and his worried expression came to mind. I glanced away with a red hue rising to my face.“Don’t give me that look-” I shifted uncomfortably, “he was just-well-he was just there at the right time.” Carina poked me teasingly, her smirk only growing.“He sure was-and was quite insistent on keeping his eye on you beforehand too. The moment he saw you he just wouldn’t look away~”I felt the blush deepen.“Oh-stop it. That’s inappropriate; you’re exaggerating,” I muttered. I started to stand up from the couch and Carina followed suit with another giggle.“I know, I know. Ah, (Y/n) I’m going to miss you. I don’t know what I’ll do now during that long commute,” Carina sighed, pulling me into an awkward embrace as her crutch wedged between us.“I’m sure you’ll find some entertainment. For now, just focus on not hurting yourself anymore,” I teased her as we pulled away. She chuckled lightly as I gathered my suitcases.Carina wished me best of luck as we waved our final goodbyes.I couldn’t help but think to myself I’ll need it while departing from her townhome.
The train ride from Linz to the Overwatch HQ in Zurich was gruesomely long. Just three hours into the journey I found myself dozing off, only for a figure to then seat themselves beside me. Startled awake, I whipped my head to face a familiar tall, thin, brooding man.“Dr. Zhang” I exasperated, “I thought you left last week..”He gave a polite smile, yet the politeness didn’t meet his eyes. “As I told Angela-Dr. Ziegler to you, I would stay behind and be damage control. I figured she would find at least one suitable recruit from Cytvia; consider me the welcoming party,” he stated. I gave a slow nod. Regardless of whether he stayed back in Linz or not, the fact he was on the exact same train as me felt more than a mere coincidence.“Furthermore, since I’m assigned as your superior, I’m here to give your first assignment,” Dr. Zhang opened his duffle bag, where he pulled out a manilla folder. “You’ll receive your work technology once we reach HQ, but until then use this.”I grabbed the manilla folder from him and opened it. Inside were the police reports, photography, and calculated records of the bombing at Cytvia the week prior. I scrunched my nose, then glanced back up at the doctor.“..my first assignment is to investigate the bombing?” I asked hesitantly. Dr. Zhang gave me a stoic nod.“After prior investigation on the scene, it was determined that the attack may be the beginning of a string of assassinations for Overwatch agents-specifically, tenured ones such as Angela or commanding sergeants. A team meeting will be held tomorrow morning to discuss further investigation procedures.”I checked the time. It had just become four in the evening, and we wouldn’t arrive in Zurich until after seven. I gulped.“I..okay,” I muttered back. Dr. Zhang raised his brow at me.“Is there..something wrong with that?” he asked. I continued flipping through the file.“It’s just...” I shook my head slowly, “..well, I’m not familiar with weaponry, sir. I’ve never experienced this field of work in my career.”Dr. Zhang’s stare turned colder-or more judgemental. It was hard to tell. Either way, it made me shrivel back into my seat.“Are you saying this task is too difficult for you?” he questioned me with almost seemed to be a twinkle of amusement in his gaze.“Ah, no that’s not-”“Because if it is,” he interrupted me, rolling his shoulders back, “then I think it’d be best if you get off at the next stop in Innsbruck.”I gritted my teeth. A thick tension rose in the air.“..no. I’ll figure it out.” I retorted.The doctor smiled at me again with a subtle nod.“Very well,” he hummed. He buckled his duffle bag up and stood from his seat, giving me an awkward pat on the shoulder.“I look forward to hearing your analysis tomorrow, then. That...” he paused, staring at my bionic eye, “..technology of yours will be of great use.” I pursed my lips, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment.“Welcome to Overwatch, (Y/n). Enjoy the rest of the train ride,” he hummed. With that, he disappeared down the aisle.I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to throw up.
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I arrived in Zurich after seven, and didn’t get to the temporary living quarters until well after eight. My body was groggy from the travel, and the anxiety of needing to construct an analysis within a field I never even came across before did not help.My living situation for the next three months was, well, miniscule. It reminded me of my undergraduate living situation. A twin bed was shoved in the corner of the room, with a small desk on the opposite wall. It was decorated with a dresser and a floor lamp, but it became clear that the bathroom/shower situation would be communal. Great.A goodie-basket sat on the bed with a cute hand-written welcome note. It was decorated with lavatory items and some pre-ripened fruit. I sat my luggage next to it before shuffling towards the desk, where (as what Dr. Zhang had mentioned), a laptop and tablet engraved with the ‘OW’ initials sat waiting for me.Sitting at the desk, I started rubbing my temples. God, I did not have the energy to work on this right now. The image of Dr. Zhang’s judgemental expression flashed across my mind. I sighed and opened the laptop.The next 3-4 hours consisted of analyzing the crime reports while simultaneously reading the handbook on how to analyze crime reports. By the three-hour mark I had developed a migraine, which only depleted my efficiency. The only thing I could truly rely on was the mechanisms used to create and set off the bomb, but the only information I had of the bomb was the remaining scraps of it found sprawled out and the fact that it was home-made, not professionally manufactured.I leaned back while running my hand through my hair. This felt like I was being set up for failure. For whatever reason, it seemed that the doctor had a vendetta against my existence, and it was becoming evident with this impossible task.The migraine was becoming agonizing. I recalled the self-serve apothecary/pharmacy within the dormitory’s lobby, so I forced my sluggish body to make its way down there to find some sort of pain relief to continue working.Majority of the halls were dim-lit or engulfed in darkness by this point in the night. I found myself wandering mindlessly until I could recognize the paths, which eventually led me to the lobby area. Like the remainder of the building, the lobby was quiet and dark.I started approaching the apothecary around the corner, only to curse when I saw it. Whatever groggy conclusions I had made earlier were completely wrong: the apothecary was in fact, not self-serving. Instead, a giant lock was wrapped around the door handles with a ‘we’ll see you in the morning!’ sign present. I groaned in defeat.I knew that with my migraine my cognitive skills would be bleary, so I instead strolled across the lobby to see if the change of pace would clear either pain or the fog from my head.As I rounded another corner, I came in contact with a sliding door that led to a large patio. The patio seemed to follow the length of the building, and I just so happened to stumble upon one of its multiple entrances. Peering out through the doorway, I spotted a figure leaning against the railing outside. They seemed so familiar, but I just couldn’t pinpoint where I’ve seen them before in my fogged state. Nevertheless, I slid open the door to the frigid air outside.The sudden cold air decreased the intensity of my migraine, allowing me to sigh in relief. The figure whipped their head around to face me with wide eyes, then their shoulders tense. With my new clarity, I became aware of who it was. Genji. Although still masked and wearing more casual clothing, I knew I could remember those dark eyes from anywhere.“O-oh, sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt,” I stammered sheepishly. I spinned on my heel to start heading back inside.“You’re fine. Truly, don’t let my presence scare you away. I wouldn’t mind the company,” he replied, staring at me curiously. I met his gaze for a moment, then shuffled towards the railing.“It’s quite late to be outside, isn’t it?” I asked.“Restless,” he hummed, “you?”“Working.”The air fell silent. I stared out across the silent lake, where a mountain range laid lazily on the horizon.“It’s (Y/n)..correct? The one from the Austrian facility-last week,” Genji glanced back at me, and I nodded affirmingly.“Yes-the one you took the brunt of that explosion for,” I retorted. He glanced away quickly, rubbing his arm. “Thank you, by the way,” I continued, “You saved my life.”“You saved a multitude more; my gratitude goes beyond my actions from that night,” he replied. I watched his eyes as he stared into mine, yet I just couldn’t read his expression.“Well,” I sighed, “even though my mind is still processing the whole thing, Zhang assigned me to investigate the incident and have an analysis completed for tomorrow morning. I just..I don’t even know where to start.”Genji raised his brow. “You’ve investigated before?” he asked.“No-not even remotely close. I’ve resorted to investigating the bomb’s manufacturing, but all I’m left with is pictures of scraps..not even its mineral components..” I rubbed my temples as my migraine started returning just by talking about the damn assignment.He cocked his head at me, blinking slowly.“They brought the bomb scraps to the lab. From what Angela told me, that should have been mentioned in the report.”“..what.” Did I not see that mentioned in the report? Was I truly so brain dead from exhaustion that that portion went over my head?!Genji chuckled softly at my appalled expression. “I suppose you didn’t see that,” he hummed. I felt a blush creeping through my ears.“Ah-yeah..I didn’t..” I muttered sheepishly. I could see the amusement twinkle in his eyes.“I believe the laboratory opens at six tomorrow,” he stated. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment, letting out an exasperated sigh.“Okay..well, I guess I should prep for an early morning then,” I mumbled. The masked man chuckled again; my blush only grew.“That would be best,” he replied.I pushed myself off the railing, and gave him a polite smile.“It was nice seeing you again, Genji. Goodnight-and, thank you.”Genji gave me a soft nod. “Goodnight, (Y/n).”With that, I left the patio, his gaze lingering as I went back inside.Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.
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Although it was a rough fight, I was able to drag myself out of bed the next morning. The sun barely peaked over the horizon by the time I departed the dormitory. Gosh, I really hope waking at this hour doesn’t become a habit.Entering the Overwatch HQ, I was absolutely starstruck. A variety of people bustle about: some completely bionic, entire omnic entities, and others plated with technology you couldn’t even dream about. It was almost overwhelming how..well..flourished the place was.I eventually managed to make it to the main laboratory, which was a maze in itself. It contested an entire floor of the building (which most definitely stretched a mile) and was filled with much more new technology than I anticipated. This would be a lot to get used to.Despite the bustling from the main floor, the laboratory seemed rather empty. It wasn’t until I was near the back area that I saw someone-a familiar blonde.“Goodmorning, (Y/n)! It’s wonderful to see you again. How was your travel?” Dr. Ziegler-Angela-greeted me warmly. I smiled at her as I approached.“Goodmorning! My travel was,” I hesitated, remembering Dr. Zhang and his sneering expressions, “well, fine. I was wondering if you knew where the bomb scraps from the Cytvia incident were.”The doctor gave me a curious look as she closed her laptop. “Oh, sure. What for?”“Dr. Zhang assigned me to the investigation. The records weren’t very clear on what the scrap consisted of, so I came to see it for myself,” I explained. Angela’s expression widened into one of shock.“Is that so?” her tone of curiosity turned into irritation. She got up from the desk and started a march down a nearby hallway. I followed in awkward suit.“Not only are you not supposed to be assigned to the Cytvia investigation due to your personal relationship to the facility and incident, but Dr. Zhang is fully aware that you are a scientist not experienced with such procedures. I just don’t know why he keeps doing this..” the blonde doctor sighed, shaking her head. She glanced back at me with an empathetic gaze.“I apologize for the confusion, (Y/n),” she said, “I’ll make sure you have your correct assignment later today. For now, let’s get you those scraps so you have something to show for their incident meeting.”I felt a wave of relief crash over me. “Thank you, Dr. Ziegler.”We arrived at a steel door at the end of the hall which had a tablet installed nearby. Angela placed her palm onto the tablet to scan, and within moments the door opened.“You should have everything you need in here,” the doctor explained as she pulled out one of the plethora of glass drawers within the wall, “but if you do need anything else don’t hesitate to call.”I gave her a smile and took the glass container from her. “Thank you again. I don’t know what I would do without you,” I said. Dr. Ziegler laughed and gave me a gentle shoulder squeeze as she went back to the entrance.“Whether it is to bring you back to life or to help you find something, I’ll always be there for you,” she hummed back. With that, she retreated back to her desk.
The clock on the wall seemed to tick impatiently; the meeting would start in less than an hour by this point. Since neither a mineral or chemical screening had been done on the bomb scraps, I had to initiate one. Thankfully, Overwatch’s technology was advanced enough to run one within a twenty minute time span.As I was waiting on the first set of test results, I caught a shuffle of movement through the reflections of the glass drawer. I whipped my head around swiftly.Genji was standing in the door frame; I didn’t even hear him approach.“Jeez-” I breathed out, “you startled me.”“Sorry, Angela said you were back here. I just came to check on you,” he explained, “You appeared stressed last night.”I smiled at him. “I think I just needed some rest, but thank you. Did you sleep well?”Genji strolled into the room. He dodged my question with another one.“Have you figured out what you needed?” he asked, peering over my shoulder.“Somewhat. I’m just waiting on the screening results so I can compile an analysis-”As I turned to face him, I realized we were standing just inches apart. It was as if my mind malfunctioned; I couldn’t complete my thought. I felt my face starting to turn red.“Are you alright?” Genji’s brows furrowed.“Um-”The computer beeped, saving me from becoming a stuttering mess. I quickly walked to the other side of the table to check on the results. While reading, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.“This is..strange..” I muttered to myself. The results stated that the scraps were primarily made of iron, which was not surprising, but also made of a multitude of mixed minerals chromium, titanium, copper, etc. It would be almost impossible for someone to get this material outside of a registered facility.Genji watched me as I related the mineral screening’s results into the global database. After a couple moments of thinking, the computer spat out the name ‘Fischer Reinach’ from Reinach, Switzerland. My shoulders stiffed.“Does the name Fischer Reinach sound familiar to you?” I asked Genji.“I believe they’re a distributor for Overwatch, from what Angela has mentioned. It may be best to ask her,” he replied.Oh my god.A cold sweat began to form on the nape of my neck. Genji approached me slowly.“(Y/n)?”I met his concerned gaze with my own shocked expression. My hands began to tremble as I closed the laptop.“This type of metal can only be distributed and accessed by global facilities such as Overwatch.Genji. There's a mole in the headquarters.”
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The silence within the room was deafening. Although I couldn’t see his face, Genji’s eyes reflected the same expression as I: fear.I shook my head-there had to be another solution. I couldn’t possibly be stuck as one of the only people to know that there’s an undercover enemy within the headquarters-on my first fucking day.I started walking towards the door to find Angela, only to have Genji grab me by the arm. I looked back at him, startled.“Where are you going?” he asked firmly.“I need to go tell Angela about the mo-”“No- lower your voice,” Genji placed his hand over my mouth with his brows furrowed. My heart was pounding.“If there’s a mole, we can’t let them know that we’re aware. It’ll only cause more trouble,” he lowered his voice into almost a hiss. I grabbed his hand and pulled it off of my mouth.“But Zhang said they’re targeting tenured members-we can’t just keep this information to ourselves. What if there’s another incident? What if someone gets killed?!”“Yes, but if they find out that you are onto them, then your life will also be in danger. You’re inept to fend for yourself in a place like this,” he hissed. I pulled away from his grasp with a frustrated huff.“I can fend for myself, Genji. I know I’m not the most physical, but I am very capable of taking care of myself. My life isn’t any more important than anyone else’s,” I retorted firmly.Genji placed his hands on my shoulders; his fingers were trembling. “(Y/n), please. They can’t know-”“Know what?” a voice boomed into the room. The color drained from my face; I turned to face the entrance.Dr. Zhang stood there with an aggravated look. I could hear my pulse pound in my head.“N-nothing. We were discussing..” I paused, glancing back at Genji, “..some personal issues.”Dr. Zhang looked between us with a curious gaze. He hummed in response.“I understand that you’ve just started, (Y/n), but it's to be expected that you keep relationship issues outside of your reported work,” Dr. Zhang stated, then glanced down at his watch, “The meeting is starting in fifteen minutes. Do you have a completed analysis?”Heat rushed to my face. Genji jumped back from me and glanced away in clear embarrassment.“Yes-sorry” I stammered, then went to grab the laptop.“Very well. Come-let’s not be late,” Dr. Zhang called out to me as he began exiting the room.As I passed Genji once more, he grabbed my shoulder again-this time more gently. He leaned close to my ear; if he wasn’t masked, I could have felt his breath run down my neck. The blush on my face only deepened.“Do what you need to in the meeting, but please ensure your safety,” his voice trembled just above a whisper. I glanced back at him and only gave a slow nod.With that, I went to catch up to Dr. Zhang.
My nerves were exploding. Although I tried to keep a stoic demeanor, it was slowly becoming evident that I was racked with anxiety. I arrived with Dr. Zhang to the conference room, where there were already a couple people chatting to each other. I wish I could just shrivel up in a hole right now.I sat myself down at the conference table trying to avoid any eye contact. Dr. Zhang sat beside me with a soft sigh.“Unfortunately, you won’t be on this investigation after the meeting,” the doctor stated, “Dr. Ziegler wasn’t pleased that I asked for your help. She’s quite protective of you-unsurprisingly.”All I responded with was an ‘okay’. It was evident he was pissed that I was off of the investigation, but it never made sense to have me on it in the first place. That’s on you, dude.The conference door opened again and everyone fell silent. A blond man with broad shoulders entered, followed by a familiar redhead sergeant. I watched him closely; I’ve seen his face before, but I couldn’t pinpoint just where. After a couple moments of intense starting, it finally clicked. He was the guy from the poster Carina showed me. I thought about her blushed face as I taunted her for being so attracted to him; oh what I would give to see her reaction to knowing I met him.Sgt. Mahler flashed me a smile as she headed towards the other side of the table. Dr. Zhang stood from his seat, brushing off his suit.“Commander Morrison, thankyou for joining us,” Dr. Zhang greeted him. The commander gave him a quick smile before turning his attention towards me.“You must be the new recruit. Welcome to Overwatch,” Morrison exclaimed this loudly, then put his hand out to shake. I took it with a ‘thankyou’, and he shook it very, very firmly. I wasn’t wrong about my first impression of him: he was most definitely an American, war machine man.After everyone settled, Sgt. Mahler cleared her throat. Her usually bright demeanor turned into a hard, cold expression.“Alright,” Mahler began, “I appreciate everyone working to figure out this situation. We need to ensure that this becomes a closed case before anyone else gets hurt; I’m expecting the utmost quality and efficiency from all of you.”The sergeant turned her serious gaze towards the doctor. “Dr. Zhang, do you have an analysis for us?” she asked.“Yes,” he began, and stood from his chair once more.“To reiterate, there is speculation that this could be the beginning of assassination attempts against tenured members. The attack in Austria seemed to have targeted both Dr. Ziegler and I, but thanks to..” the doctor glanced my way, then continued, “..civilian interference, no one was hurt during the attack. I cannot promise that a strike of luck like that will happen again, however. Since there haven't been any prior incidents like this, it’s hard to have a pattern or signifying procedures of how the attack can be prevented.”“I had one of the engineers from Cytvia, (Y/n), run an analysis as well based on the police reports and bomb scraps. (Y/n)?” all eyes fell on me expectantly. Sgt. Mahler’s gaze had softened towards me, but I could still feel her stare burning holes into my face.I cleared my throat, awkwardly fidgeting to open my laptop. My heart rate was increasing at a significant amount; Genji’s words flashed through my mind.Do what you need to in the meeting, but please ensure your safetyI didn’t know what to say. A clear fog of suspense was thickening in the air the longer I stayed silent. I took a deep breath.“As there wasn’t much new information in the reports Dr. Zhang hasn’t relayed, I decided to focus my analysis on the bomb scraps from the scene.” I paused, scanning the room. Their expressions didn’t falter.“From what I gathered,” I continued, “the bomb was made to look like it was created from homemade scrap metal, such as malleable iron and recycled plates. However, the mineral and chemical screenings showed that the parts created by the bomb could only be found in high-end metal factories. The screenings suggested a factory near southern Europe in a moderate climate.”I felt my fingers tremble against my keyboard, awaiting a reaction from the room. Could they see that I was withholding information? Did they know that I was lying?Commander Morrison nodded approvingly. “This is a good start. Our front forces in Milan had discovered a newer Talon hideout outside of the city. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is correlation between the attack and this upcoming base,” the blond stated.A wave of relief washed over me as the others muttered in agreement, only then to be struck with guilt. As the rest of the committee discussed action plans moving forward, I felt that I had to restrain myself from blurting out the truth. I chewed on my lip anxiously.After an hour and half, the commander stood from his seat at the table, announcing the commencement of the meeting. Everyone seemed confident in the action plan to prevent the assassinations-everyone except me.Walking out of the meeting room, I felt a hand pat my shoulder. I looked up to Dr. Zhang’s smile-his actual, genuine smile.“I’m impressed with your analysis, (Y/n). I thought you wouldn’t be able to figure it out,” he explained. I gave a polite smile. He sighed wearily.“Since you won’t be assigned to the investigation anymore, I’ll have to restrict your access to the uploaded files. Maybe next time I can use you for good...” he trailed off into his own thoughts, then shook his head, “nonetheless, good work. Your new assignment should be listed within the hour.” With a quick wave, he parted off to catch up with the remainder of the committee.Once again, I felt like I was going to vomit.