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Aomical: Prologue

Summary:

After suffering from an unknown disease that's slowly beginning to consume your body and mind, you take your mother's advice and sign up for an experimental trial that just may cure you.

Things take a turn when you wake to find that you've been in cryostasis and your veins seem to glow neon blue.

You are taken into the care by the likings of Dr. Angela Ziegler who hopes to cure your condition.
_

This is a multi-route FanFic with different endings via which character route the reader pines for.
Please check Chapter 6 for updates and discussion. Chapter 6 is updated frequently and all comments are replied to! <3

Updated: 12/31/2022

Chapter 1: ARON-14

Notes:

Warnings: Ableism, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Amputation.

This will be the only chapter with these warnings applied given it's the first chapter, I will not add warnings to the head of any future chapters!
Expect future chapters to have what is mentioned above, plus some. I will tag most major stuff, but in the future expect violence, blood, gore, etc.
This Fic will possible take a few dark turns and will edge on being true to canon (expect it to take some creative liberty often).

Chapter 1 is rather long and has lots of exposition, apologies in advance!

Thank you so much, enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

July 2021

The ocean was beautiful as always. Especially in the evening when the sun was beginning to stretch over the horizon. There you sat and stared, taking in the scene, the moment. The idea of sand between your toes, sticking to the hairs on your legs only to wash away with the tide as you’d feel them sweep past gracefully. All the while you’d sway deeper, letting the sound of crashing ways humble your mind as you’d feel the wind on your face, hair blowing behind you in the breeze. Maybe you could take the moment to reflect on your past, imagine who you were in another life. Imagining maybe, in one of those realities, you were a world renowned gymnast. One who moved with grace, nimble and free.


“Nimble and free..”

The words left your lips in a whisper and disappeared into the wind as you opened your eyes.

The ocean before you had become dark as the sun made its great escape, leaving the once welcoming waters to look ominous. You looked down to the sand between your toes, shoes sitting aside with your socks tucked inside. The sand almost felt like it was trying to make a mockery of you as you attempted to move it with stiff toes. The muscles wouldn’t budge one bit and you vaguely wondered why you still held onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, one day they would. They’d budge and you’d be able to feel the fine grains between your toes now, scraping skin much like you wished they would. Scraping and scratching there; make you cringe at the sensation.

You’d give your tongue if it meant being able to feel that again. Maybe even if it was just once.

“We’re not sure how long you have.”

It had all started with frequent migraines. In the beginning you shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it; maybe your period was coming early? Those migraines would come and begin to last for days. Sleepless nights would follow. Your mood would begin its initial descent; Lashing out at others over minimal conversations. Work began to be a struggle. You could never focus on making drinks, messing up orders of even your favourite customers who would speak out to you for concern. Apologies would follow as you were driven into self pitying. The migraines would soon turn into body aches. Your legs and back would ache throughout the days, feeling as if you’d just ran a marathon then some.

Your heart rate would increase and decrease throughout the day, leaving your chest humming with pain constantly. Frequent emergency room visits would follow and you would be put on watch, doctor’s scared you were suffering from heart attacks at such an early age. Days were harder to take on. You were left breathless by even walking slightly faster than normal. A brisk walk would leave you wheezing for air and hunched over the nearest railing.

It was your mother that convinced you to finally see a specialist after multiple visits to your regular doctor. The pile of medications on your countertop only continued to double. Painkillers were the biggest benefactor, followed by muscle relaxers. Your condition would only spiral out of control from there, seemingly getting worse with each passing second. It felt like it, or more like it didn’t. One day you woke to find you could no longer move your toes. The feeling was gone, snapped from existence as you struggled to wiggle them. A month later you could no longer turn your ankle, another month passed and you could no longer tilt your heel, the tendon not reacting to any order given. It occurred in both legs at different times. You went from walking with one crutch to two in three months.

Unable to work any longer, you were forced to move back in with your mother for support, let it be financial or general. Daily chores were beginning to be a hassle. Your mind drew blanks to the smallest of tasks. You’d forget where the dish soap was only after just using it. The colours of clothes were beginning to blend, making it hard to separate them during the weekly wash. As if it wasn’t hard enough to limp around, forcing the remaining muscles in your thighs and waist to work overtime to hobble around. You refused to use a wheelchair despite the accommodations your poor mother had already made for you, going the extra mile to install a ramp up to the front porch. It had led to many arguments, many scream matches that would end with you crying on the floor, desperate for a cure. You were tired of feeling useless.

Sleepless nights were now a daily occurrence along with the usual migraine. One that ate at the back of your head as you struggled to focus on reading anything- anything at all. You just couldn’t watch television anymore, you had to keep your mind active or else you’d find yourself drifting away. It felt as if you were falling, struggling to cling to anything that would give an ounce of the life you once had. You used to be an active person. Involved in school, happy at work, outgoing and charismatic. You could no longer keep up with the friends you once had. Their faces were already beginning to blend into a blur in your mind and you had to constantly look at a group photo to remember them; which would’ve been useful had you remembered their names.

That happy, upbeat personality you once had was gone. In its place a husk of a person. A shell merely taking up space in a place it would otherwise be welcomed. Your mother was your biggest supporter, still trying to find new doctors who would take your case. The case of a woman who was slowly being driven mad through staging paralysis and a fleeing mind.

“We’re not sure how long you have.” Your doctor’s had come to the conclusion that you were dying.

It was followed by a crowd of sorrowful looks from others who’d given it their all. No one seemed sure what your condition was. You were originally diagnosed with cerebral palsy, then Guillain-Barré syndrome, then possibly early onset Alzheimer's disease, then conversion disorder. Every doctor had a different say in your case. No one seemed to understand what was happening to your mind or body. It was as if you were beginning to fade away.

It felt like it. It felt as if you were dying. At this point, you had accepted your fate.

You didn’t want to fight anymore. Days were a struggle. Each passing moment left you feeling empty. You could barely enjoy the things you used to. The only reason you bothered trying was for your mother. Imagining her all alone was enough to make you rise from your bed in the morning. It was only for her. She would encourage you to go to appointments and try new medications though none ever seemed to work aside from painkillers. It was her who would take her days off driving you to places you missed going to. She’d take you to watch the sunset, or to the cafe you used to work at for coffee and to see old faces you couldn’t remember. It was her who would smile at you as you’d try out the crutches she’d painted for you, decorating the metal with flowers she’d spent hours on the night before. It was her who made you want to live again.

But it was her who you’d hear arguing with the doctors that they needed to figure something out no matter what the cost. It was her who would pile on the debt and work double shifts to keep up with the bills. It was her who you’d see crying in the kitchen once she thought you were out of range. It was her who you’d apologize to for being a waste of space and it was her who would hug you as tight as a mother could.

You were merely a burden. A useless waste of space; what was your purpose?



“There’s a doctor in Germany that wants to take on your case.”


The news was new and sudden. You don’t remember exactly what you were doing prior to the moment your mother approached you when she returned from home. All you remember is her big smile as she rambled on about how they had some sort of new technology that could scan better than any MRI or CAT could or would. In her hand a pile of paperwork and various handwritten letters. She’d practically swat them around as she spoke, the smile on her face growing wide as she explained too frantically for you to keep up. You could barely keep with her, but it was heartwarming to see her smile.

Your mother smiles frequently, of course. She’s always trying to keep it up, but you know deep down she’s struggling just as badly as you. It can’t be easy watching one’s own child go through such terrible things. But now that she’s here rambling on about how excited she is, how she’s already been looking into flights, how the doctor’s offered to pay for all expenses- you’re suddenly aware of your own thoughts for the first time in a while. A part of you wants to speak up, say that you don’t want to go. That you want to stay home. That you’re tired of trying.

You’re tired of trying.

You want to sleep; and sleep properly. Not the hairpin sleep that pulls you in and out of consciousness, leaving you feeling restless and panicked. You want a deep sleep. One where you’d eat your favorite home cooked meal and crawl into bed after a warm shower with fresh pjs on as if you were some little kid again. One that you just might not wake up from.

But of course nothing gets past your lips and instead you simply smile for her sake.



The flight over was boring despite having the window seat. You couldn’t focus on the movies that played nor the music you’d downloaded on your phone to listen to. Your mother had long since fallen asleep, head tilted to the side with her arms folded over her chest. With your attention focusing in and out of the ocean view, your mind began to drift. The information given to you of this prospective doctor that had reached out to you was still fresh in your mind. You’d gotten the chance to talk with him over a video conference beforehand, but truthfully, you don’t remember all of what had been said. It was vague, yet still fresh in your mind all at once. Something about a possible new treatment had been said, which you only remember due to your mother’s hopeful outburst.

Along those lines you could remember the man saying something about a possible implant could alter your mind to a more feasible state. You were most excited by the aspect. You could continue your life without the use of your legs. The idea of possible being able to even think clearly again somehow stuck ringing in your ears like a new bell.


After your arrival you spent two days in and out of a hotel, exploring what Berlin had to offer. You’d hobble behind your mother as you went in and out of shops, treating your initial arrival as a vacation of sorts. Lord knows she needs it. Even if nothing came out of this, you were content with the idea that your mother had the opportunity to come here free of expenses. It made you smile watching her show you candies you’d both never seen outside of tv shows. Your mind would begin to drift only to be brought back by her bubbly smile.

It somehow brought back memories of the days when your father were still around. How happy your mom seemed around him. They always acted like they were still a teenage couple in the early phases of love, even after ten years of marriage. He’d bring her flowers and knickknacks each time he came back from a business trip. Course you’d always get something too, but it was usually a new toy and a kiss to the forehead.

Now that you thought of it, you were beginning to realise how hard it was to remember his face.


“During the first initial trials, you will need to stay on facility grounds at all times. We’ve already prepared a room and accommodations have been made for you.” The briefing was short and all but sweet. Straight to business with little to no remorse. It had become clear that whatever treatment you’d agreed to was highly experimental and judging by all the paperwork you had to sign, questionably legal. All information shared had to be kept within the walls of the facility. Neither of you had any information whether these people were aided by the government or not. If you were to place a bet… you would say the latter.

In the midst of the meeting your mother was beginning to second question everything, asking the more serious questions you hadn’t thought of. “What if it starts to affect her negatively and her health begins to decline, will she be able to go home?” There was a pause around the table, the three doctors in lab coats sharing glances to one another before the leader of the bunch, the one you’d originally spoken to through video chat, answered.

“If there is a serious decline, serious as in terminally… we will see what we can do. As we explained before, you are agreeing to the procedures all in good faith as we are too.”

It wasn’t a good answer and you didn’t need to look to your mothers face for justification that it wasn’t. Her brow creased and eyes wandered the table, looking over the paperwork yet to be signed that would hand your health over to the professionals. Finally, it was your turn to frown. You’d already come all the way here, your mother had taken all her vacation days for this, and this… whatever it was- was a chance. A possibility that you could get better.

So without a word you reached out and began signing the documents, signing over whatever rights were needed. Your mother looked at you with her mouth agape, shocked as you signed each paper accordingly. In return you looked back and smiled, giving a firm nod of agreement. You wanted to make her proud, give yourself the fighting chance she wanted you to have.

If not for her, then for yourself.

Once the papers were signed you stood with aid from your crutches and stopped to receive a hug from your mother. It was bone-crushing as this would be the moment you two would part ways. It would only be for a short period of time. They said you’d be allowed visitors after the first trials were done. You gave your best attempt to hug back, struggling to press your weight onto her and with one arm, wrapped it around her neck. After then you’d be guided by one of the nurses into the facility, down the white medical hall where she began filling you in on the small details.

Dinner would be served in your room that night, however the following day after the first trial you would be unable to eat due to the possibility of vomiting. You were growing uneasy, the details of these so-called “trials” still being kept vague. You were told they were similar to chemotherapy which, in itself, wasn’t the greatest information. In the back of your mind, something was still nagging at you that this was all a bad idea… that something wrong was coming about. The little details were still being kept from you, and your mother, but they continued to assure you that it was all for confidentiality. They had to keep their trials quiet so that research could be done properly without the view of the public eye interfering. It all made your gut twist uncomfortably. You wanted to stay hopeful, happy that this opportunity was even handed to you. So… you still held onto that small glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, you’d be able to be cured of whatever disease was riddling your mind and body.


Your room was deathly silent. And empty.

There wasn’t a window aside from the one on the door, the only light being one coming from the iridescent one above. It made the looming headache in the back of your head throb awake, causing you to sigh as you rubbed your temples. Your stuff had been taken, the nurse saying that they’d return your belongings once everything was sanitized due to protocol. So you shifted your focus to the room, looking around to find a sink, an old box tv, one small bookshelf, a chair, and a standard hospital bed. It felt so… barren. You’d already been informed that the bathrooms were in the hall and that you had to press a button on the wall to be escorted to them. It crudely reminded you of a prison cell, making you laugh to yourself weakly as you took a seat on the bed. You didn’t want to think of it that way, after all, these people were trying to help you.

At some point the nurse came back with a small tray of food and the bag you’d brought a few of your belongings in. Tonight’s dinner was sauerbraten with cabbage, a very traditional dish and one you were not used to. Your belongings had obviously been searched and a few things were missing like your chapstick and face wipes, but you decided not to make a fuss of it. It’s possible you forgot them anyway. You were told not to bring any clothes as they’d be provided which held true as she stepped out to the cart to grab a pile of folded, white clothes on it. She handed them to you, asking you to change into them some time and that she’d be back for your clothes later that evening.

You thanked the woman and watched as she left, leaving you in the room alone with a tray of food and your new set of clothes.



After then you allowed yourself a moment to relax, take into consideration the fact that these people were trying to help you. The strict rules they applied were ones you’d consented to. After all, you were having all expenses paid for in exchange for treatment- albeit experimental. Eventually you’d change into the stark white garbs after you ate, finding them actually rather comfortable. The nurse did return later on to retrieve the empty tray as well as your clothes, thanking you simply before leaving you alone once again.

The lights in the hall would eventually shut off, signalling that it was time to sleep. You climbed into bed slowly, setting your crutches against the wall in reach in case you needed to get up at any point in the night. With the light now off you stared at the ceiling, wondering what your mom was up to now. Maybe she’d taken it upon herself to explore more of the city. Or was she back at the hotel worrying herself ill? You hoped not. You were being taken care of. You were going to get better in no time and she was going to smile, maybe even cry when you told her how much better you were feeling. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see, it made you chuckle imagining it.

For once, sleep came well. Maybe it’d been the rush of emotions brought on by the day’s events, but you actually managed to get a few hours in before you woke to the sound of thumping. It was loud and at first, you tried to ignore it, but it continued to grow in volume until it was no longer ignorable. You sat, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you reached for your crutches to stand. Climbing out of bed, you went to the window at the door, peering out of it in hopes of seeing anything in the hall that might justify such noises. The hall was barren, void of anyone or anything that could make that thumping sound.

You reached for the handle and went to turn it, finding it locked. For a moment your brows creased and you wondered if the door lock was a part of the safety protocol they’d gone over before. You couldn’t remember. So, with a defeated sigh, you moved back to sit down on the bed again. The thumping continued, rubbing the back of your aching mind as you stared at the wall. It was irritating. You weren’t going to be able to sleep again in these conditions and considered hitting the “call” button to ask a nurse what the sound was. With your head to the wall behind you, you let out a deep sigh as the thumping grew louder. It felt as if it were behind you, maybe it was from another room, another patient? You didn’t think of looking into the other rooms when you were walking down the hall earlier that day. It made you wonder how many people were here and how many of them were like you?

The thumping suddenly came to a stop with a louder, more thunderous thump. It raddled you, eyes flying open as you looked at the opposite wall. The room shook with the sound. The few items you did have laying out on the table had shifted, your hairbrush laying closer to the edge than you remember it being. You lifted your head from the wall right as the sound of a door slamming open echoed in the hall followed by unintelligible screaming. Heart beginning to race, you grab your crutches again to go to the window. The light had come on by that point, allowing you to see the scene before you as two guards entered a patient’s room. The screaming grew louder, the voice speaking a language you could not understand- what you presumed to be German. The guards emerged from the room moments later, either of them holding an arm of the patient who was being dragged along the smooth tile.

He was thrashing in their arms, screaming out in a foreign tongue. “Nimm mich nicht, ich will nicht gehen!” He repeated the phrase over and over, kicking weakly at the guards who seemed to pay little to no mind to him. His voice was hollow, pleading and fearful yet somehow holding a threatening tone. Your eyes were wide as they passed you, allowing you to take a good look at the patient. His face was almost entirely white, eyes sunken in and lips blistering red. He looked as if he were a ghost, one that was begging whisked away out of sight. Yet, you could still hear his voice. Loud, echoing, and followed by screams that made the meal you’d eaten prior threaten to spill.

Then, it all stopped. The lights in the hall turned off. Not a sound. Your focus was still on the hall exit where they’d taken the man off to, wondering what was to come of the screaming man. Perhaps he was crazy? Perhaps he had some mental illness that caused him to act so violently. You shouldn’t make assumptions, however, for the sake of your own sanity, you did.

You moved back to your bed, taking your seat once again. Sleep would not be coming again. Instead you’d be left to stare at the ceiling and think. Your thoughts drifted, wandering off onto various topics. Your mother, the oncoming treatment, the man who’d been dragged away, how you missed your phone, how you were so, so bored. Earlier you’d already tried the television, but everything was in German. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to focus on it even if you wanted to.

You just wanted someone to talk to.

That familiar, lonely feeling began stabbing its way into your chest and eating you alive as the silence bore on. What if the treatments didn’t work? There was a chance you wouldn’t be able to go home until all trials were completed- even if they weren’t successful. Would mom be disappointed in you? No, she’d be proud you tried. She’d be happy you did something to help yourself rather than mope around in your own self pity all day, even if all day was now confined to a small, white room. 



At some point, hours passed. The door opening snapped you back to reality and you looked to see one of the nurses had come to fetch you. She barely spoke a lick of English and it showed as she struggled to ask you to follow, putting her finger to her bottom lip and making lots of ‘er’ sounds before simply waving you with her hand. Of course you obliged, making no comment nor face from the language barrier and simply following along the best you could. You hobbled down the hall, one crutch in either hand as you attempted to look into the different rooms as you passed. You couldn’t see into any of them, the window being just too high to look into at an angle. You were, however, able to see that the man from earlier was still gone judging by how his room door was still open by a few inches. It made your gut fill with dread as you limped past, trying to keep up with the nurse who was leading you down the hall into an adjacent one.

As you entered the new room you felt an odd sense of dread fill your chest.

Aside from the few doctors and nurses standing around, the main focus of the room was a medical table with various different equipment sitting out on tables around it. There wasn’t much else to the room other than a sign, a heart monitor, and the overhead lights. You were gestured forward by the nurse who slipped out of the room, closing the door in her wake. A different nurse came forth, smiling as she gestured you forward and directed you to sit on the table. You struggled to climb onto it, only managing with her help and frowned as she took away your crutches.

The doctors joined in, speaking German to one another as they began preparing you for what you assumed were your starting trials of treatment. The one doctor you did recognize finally addressed you with a smile, “My apologies for the rush.” He stated, taking the pressure off your chest now that you were finally being addressed. “We had quite the morning and we were supposed to start trials sooner, but it was postponed.” You wanted to open your mouth and ask if it was due to what happened the night prior, but your words fell short as the nurse in front of you asked you to stay put. A needle was pressed into your vein and you flinched at the pain, attention turning back to Dr. Howser as he directed you to lay flat on the table.

You did, feeling worry beginning to grow in your stomach as the team continued to prepare. It only skyrocketed once you felt leather restraints beginning to be fastened to your knees and wrists. The worry must’ve shown on your face because Dr. Howser spoke up shortly, “The restraints are to ensure you do not move during the initial dosage.” You frowned, brows knitting together as you swallowed down the hard lump in your throat.

That uneasy feeling was back to stay now, unmoving as a strap was applied to your forehead as well. Now forced to look at the overhead light, the migraine in the back of your skull began to flare as you closed your eyes in an attempt to avoid the light. Your heart was beginning to race and you could hear it on the monitor, the beep growing more frequent as your hands began shaking nervously. ”It’s like chemo.” The voice of the nurse you’d initially met crossed your mind. What you knew about chemotherapy was little, but you did know it was not a pleasant experience.

“You may feel a stinging sensation.” Dr. Howser’s voice caught your attention and you prepared yourself for the sting, eyes squeezed shut in anticipation.

A sting was not what you felt.

The pain that suddenly engulfed your arm was enough to snap your eyes wide open again, staring right into the overhead light that only caused your migraine to grow stronger. That same pain spread in a matter of seconds. Unlike anything you’d ever felt before- worse than the migraines, worse than the chest pain, worse than the sleepless nights you’d grown oh-so used to. Red hot, scorching ash in your veins, up your arm through your shoulder to your neck and blossoming in your chest. It was liquid fire, molten lava that had your shaking hands thrashing to look for purchase.

The pain in your throat was aided by a sore throat as it occurred to you that you’d been screaming. You were unaware of your own movements, eyes bloodshot as your attention could only be focused on the pain filling every atom in your body. The restraints prevented you from moving, thrashing against them helplessly as if you were a caught fish thrown to the dock. The faces of the doctors and nurses were blurry, but you could see they were all watching, eyes glued to you as you were roasted alive before them. Your throat was raw from your own voice and as you sucked in panicked breaths, you were finally able to feel the tears that’d been streaming down your cheeks.

You couldn’t hear anything past the ringing in your ears, your cries falling deaf to yourself as you sobbed uncontrollably. No thoughts could make it past the pain- any doubts or depressions were lost in the moment. You could only think of how bad it hurt, how bad you wanted it to stop, how bad you wanted to close your eyes and forget about it- forget about yourself.

The ringing was slowly beginning to die down and finally you could hear yourself. Frantic, short and shallow breaths as you began to hyperventilate. It felt as if you were drowning, unable to take a breath no matter how badly your chest was trying to. Your voice was lost, replaced only by your frantic gasps and choking coughs. Then you could finally hear it, the heart monitor that was beginning to beep slowly. The doctors were beginning to argue with one another, the three of them speaking in a language you couldn’t understand less even make out in the moment.


You were dying. You could feel it. 

Your vision was beginning to grow blurier, the lights coming in and out of view as your eyes rolled. The energy you had was spent, replaced only by the searing pain that captured your very being and held on as if its life depended on it- not yours. The heart monitor’s beep still rung in your ears as your vision dimmed, barely making out Dr. Howser that was standing above you with a flashlight to your eyes. All you could think of was how bright that light was as it shined in your eyes, making your spinning world come to the forefront of your mind.

Then finally, just as you began to fade out of consciousness, you heard the doctor’s voice one last time.

“Bereiten Sie sich auf die Operation vor!”



When you first woke, you weren’t able to take in a breath.

Your body felt as if it was downright refusing as your eyes struggled to adjust. There was something on your face and something down your throat. You reached up in a panic, finding the tube providing air was firmly planted in your throat. Right as you went to take it out, hands shaking in fear, you felt someone’s hand grab yours. That fear spiked and you attempted to scream only for it to be muffled by the tube down your throat. The adrenaline pumping through your body was too much at once, it felt electric. Your mind was spinning, unable to grasp onto this new sensation as you suddenly felt the forceful pull of your conscious beginning to slip away again.

A hand shaking you drove you awake the second time.

You jerked up suddenly wide awake as your mind reeled, the action making you dizzy. Almost falling back again you felt a hand on your back, holding it upwards as you began coughing. Your throat was raw as you did, hunched over and still blinded as your body struggled to adjust to breathing once again. Your chest felt like it was on fire, that same electric shock running through your veins once again as you took in a much needed, deep breath. This time, the electricity that coursed through your veins was soothing, making your arms numb as you tried to blink your eyes open.

When you did, the first thing that came was blinding lights. You brought your hands up to rub them, taking in another breath as you did only to stop right as you felt something wet rub into your face. Finally, you were able to blink past the fluid, the first view being your paled hands. Everything was still blurry, caked in some sort of film as you attempted to get a grasp on your surroundings. The second thing to hit you was a blue light emitting from your chest. Tentatively, you reached down to touch the light, finding it was permanently fixed to the centre of your chest.

”Местонахождение капсулы B-9 - D-12: найдено. Признаки жизни: Найден. Передача информации на Альфу-01.”

The sudden robotic voice caught your attention and you jerked your head, seeing a thing standing next to you. It was blurry, but you could tell whatever it was, was white. You blinked a few times, clearing the film from your eyes more with each blink. The thing next to you suddenly beeped and seemed to plant itself down onto the floor.

You were finally able to see your surroundings with the film out of your eyes.

The first thing you were able to see was the fluid you were still sitting in. It was thick, almost as if it were some sort of goo, yet still thin enough to run through your fingertips as you touched it. You were in some sort of pod, it seemed, judging based on similar ones you’d seen in tv shows before. You were naked, coated in the gooey substance that you assumed you were submerged in at some point. The area around you is dark, barely lit only by the thing next to you as well as the blue light still emanating from your chest. With your poor vision you were able to make out other similar “pods” lined up to the wall, most of them having cracked glass and or tipped over. You notice that yours is the only one laying flat, the others all up on their sides.

Slowly, you move yourself only to find that you feel lighter than you remember.

Your eyes dart down to your legs and your heart sinks into your gut, forcing the threat of vomit to arise. From the knee down- there’s nothing. They’re merely numbs except for the odd metal device seemingly attached to the stumps. You bring your fingers down to touch the metal, ignoring how your hand shakes as you rub your fingers over where your legs used to be. Your mind is too occupied to truly react, leaving you speechless as your fingers rub over the metal. There you can feel what you can tell to be some sort of clamp. As your hand roams, your eyes suddenly catch a light emanating from your wrist.

You can see your own veins. They’re electric blue and glowing through your skin. Only the thicker veins show, the smaller and deeper ones causing the light to disappear into flesh. Your eyes follow the light all the way up your arm, focusing on how you can tell where each vein goes. Your chest is the same way, each vein glowing bright, neon blue before finally all leading into a metal device firmly planted into your chest.

Your fingers instantly move to it, retracting from your stumped legs to find something more interesting in the centre of your chest. There some sort of device is firmly planted, embedded and grown into the flesh there. You can’t see into it due to the angle, only able to see that there is light emanating from it as well. You press your fingers to the centre to find some sort of glass protecting it. It feels… fake. Like it’s not really there and you manage to actually scoff at the thought of it all. It feels surreal.

“Мои чтения обнаружили, что вы в сознании.”

The robotic voice catches you again, causing you to whip your head around to the white “thing” that is still next to your pod. Finally able to see you’re able to get a good reading on whatever it is. And whatever it is, looks like it’s straight out of a Star Wars movie. It’s a robot, stark white in colour with two blue dots that you think are its “eyes” on a black screen that you can only assume to be its face of some sorts. The robot is… very box-like with two wheels at the bottom, keeping it balanced and upright as it swivels to seemingly look at you.

“What are you…?” The words leave your lips before you get the chance to properly think, more fascinated with the thing next to you than to truly gauge your situation properly. Your hand instinctively reaches out, touching the smooth metal surface of the robot as if to see if it’s real or not. The blue eyes on the display look up to you at your question, causing you to withdraw your hand.

“Английский признан. синхронизирующий языковой модуль…” There’s a pause as a wheel appears on the thing’s display, spinning as it seemingly thinks. Then it does, “English: Active. I am ARON-14.” It states in a bold, robotic voice. “I am a discovery unit sent by SO-Foundation to inspect and report in district C-28-A to inform of potential habitability.” It’s eyes move up and down as a holographic grid comes out, scanning over you only for a large red ‘X’ to appear on ARON’s screen. “I cannot seem to locate your PDC. Would you please inform me of its location so that I can make a proper report.”

You’re taken aback by the absurdity of it all. It doesn’t feel real- it can’t be real. This thing, no creature- no robot is talking to you as if it’s a person. Your mouth is left open in shock as you stare back, brows raised in disbelief before finally you catch up to its words. “My PDC?.. What is that?” You ask first only to shake your head frantically, “Wait no what? W-what’s happening, what are you- I’m confused?” Your brows knit together as you look around again, trying to take in your surroundings once again in hopes of piecing together the puzzle.

Was this a part of the experiment trials? No.. no it can’t be. This felt wrong.

“A PDC is your Personalized Data Chip. It holds all information relevant to you such as birth name, age, weight, height, and sex. Please inform me of its location on your body so that I can make an adequate report.” The robot blinks up at you (as if it somehow needs to) and listens to your following questions. “Confusion is a common side effect among those waking from cryosleep. The most common side effects include, but are not limited to: confusion, muscle soreness, forgetfulness, and nausea. Some more serious side effects include, but are not limited to: Amnesia, heart failure, hepatic failure, and pneumothorax. If you are experiencing any of these immediate symptoms, please remain calm.”

As you listen, only one word echoes in your mind.


Cryosleep.


It causes your brow to crease as you try to pin-point what crazed reality you woke to- this must be a dream. This must be some sort of drug-induced dream caused by whatever those doctors had given you before. This is the final road before you die, the road you take as your mind finally begins to dissolve into mush. It makes you laugh. You can’t help it. Your mind is spinning as you laugh, bringing a hand up to find your hair is shaved short to a buzzcut. You woke up with your body feeling violated, confused, and now talking to a robot. An actual robot. This is it, this is your descent into madness.

“Please inform me of the location of your PDC at once so that I can make a-”

You cut the robot off with a head shake, swallowing down a sore throat as you look at the device with wide eyes. “I have no idea what that is.” You give a sudden snort, shaking your head again as another laugh manages to escape. You’re going crazy.


“A PDC is your Personalized Data Chip. It holds all information relevant to you such as-”

“I-I got that, you already said that.” You interrupt, causing the machine to fall silent. You’re staring at it again, shocked again that you’d just spoken to it as if it were real. “I don’t have one.” That seems to take the robot back some, a spinning wheel appearing on its monitor as it proceeds to ”contemplate” what to do next. You take the moment to look back down at your legs, looking at the stubs that leave your throat feeling dry.

”It’s all a dream.” You think to yourself, shaking your head as the sudden urge to cry comes on but no tears come and you’re instead suddenly very aware of how thirsty you are. Nothing feels right. It all feels so real yet so fake.

“Understood.” ARON confirms after the eyes return to the screen. “I will now conduct a short search for you and ask a few simple questions. Please provide the following information. Please list your name, birth day and location, height, weight and sex.” As the robot speaks, he scans you again with another laser, the grid pattern showing red this time.

You’re taken aback by all the questions, blinking a few times in disbelief before swallowing to shake your head. “Uhm, wait, why do you need this information?” Your brows knit together as you think back to what the robot had said before about making a report. “Who are you reporting to?” You’re going crazy- you’re talking to a robot.

ARON finishes, his eyes blinking back as he listens to your returned questions. “I am a discovery unit sent by SO-Foundation to inspect and report in district C-28-A to inform officials of potential survivors and habitability. I am in need of the required information of one’s PDC so that I can send a report to the SO-Foundation as to the location of a living habitat of site C-28-A.” He blinks up to you, “My readings have found you are in possession of an aomical fusion accelerator. If this is correct, please describe the day and time you came into possession of such a device.”

You blink at the robot’s words.

Potential habitability? District C-28-A? SO-Foundation? Aomical fusion accelerator?

It was all too much at once and you swore you’d receive whiplash if anything else were to come. “Uhm, I’m sorry what?” You asked only to regret your decision as ARON began repeating the previous statements. “Wait, ok stop. What is an aomical fusion-thingy?” You frown, thinking about it for merely a second before pointing to the device firmly planted into your chest. “This thing?”

The robot’s eyes follow your hand when you point to the device. “Yes, precisely. Such equipment must be reported to authorities upon immediate discovery.” He scans the device once again, the scanner only focusing in on the device firmly planted in your chest. “However more information is required prior to report as there is no make or model of said device. If information is not provided, immediate authoritative notice will be pursued.”

You give a breathy laugh at that, bringing your sticky hands up to your face to bring them down your cheeks. It’s all too much. There’s too much going on and you can barely muster the thought of this being real. It can’t be. “Well I can’t help you there, I just woke up with it.” You sigh again, swallowing down a starkly dry throat as you think. “Shit…” The words leave your throat before you think and your brows knit together. “This is all too much. I must be dreaming, I must be going crazy living in some Sci-fi world that my mind is trying to pawn off as real life.”

ARON seems to be listening, but the robot has since fallen silent since you began speaking. “I have the report of your vitals ready. I can report that all major organs have failed. Support provided by the AFA has allowed for current utilisation. Removal of the AFA would cause immediate organ failure resulting in death.” The eye lights look you up and down again before readjusting on your facial features. “You seem to have had an amputation at a prior point and I can report that both ligaments have healed. You have a neural implant as well. My readings are picking up odd genetic readings, however I cannot be sure of the details without viable samples.” He waits a moment before asking, “Are my findings correct?”

There’s a pause as you think before throwing your hands up, sounding defeated. “Yeah… yeah sure.” You don’t know what to think anymore. Who knows what’s real and what’s made up? This is all one weird, whacky dream. You’ll wake up soon, sitting in some sort of medical bed where a nurse is going to tell you that it’s all fake- that you were just having some nightmare.

“Understood.” The eye lights turn back to a spinning wheel as he processes before they return. “Please list your name, birth day and location, height, weight and sex.”

You do, swallowing down a dry throat once again as you list off your full name, sex, the last time you remember weighing yourself- which can’t be accurate now given you are down half both legs. Same goes for height. “The last I remember I was in Germany, but if you are looking for a birth location that was the United States.” You hum, rubbing your forehead again as you think before continuing.

When you get to your birthday the robot seems to falter, the spinning wheel appearing a number of times as he processes the information. “Did you say you were born in 2002?”

Your eyes shift back to him and give a little nod before snorting. “What does it matter?” Leaning over the edge of the pod you attempt to look for something to help you climb out. Without legs you can’t use crutches anymore- not that you see any. Guess you’ll finally have to cave and use a wheelchair like mom always wanted you to. Maybe this dream is supposed to signify that. “I’m losing my mind here, who cares when I was born?”

“I will conduct a full mental health check as soon as possible.” ARON states firmly. “When and what reason were you put into cryostasis?”

“I have no idea.” You give a sarcastic laugh as you suddenly haul yourself out of the pod, suddenly very aware of your nude figure. As you do you feel the muscles in your arms flex, that same numb feeling from before coming back as you force the muscles to work so you could climb out. Carefully, you lower yourself to the floor and hesitate before applying pressure to the numbs of what remains of your knees. Surprisingly, there’s no pain, so you take that as a sign to drop yourself. When you do, you lose balance and fall over, giving a curse at the pain coming from your elbows when you hit them. ARON rolls backwards out of your way, his eyes looking you over curiously as you finally lift yourself up to sit, well, stand as you can. The metal plates at the bottom of your knees do you well for balance, providing somewhat of a platform to keep yourself steady.


It feels… wrong to be moving. 

Your mind tells you something is wrong- that it shouldn’t feel normal. You should be in pain, you think, but you're not. In fact, there’s not an ounce of pain. If anything you feel better than ever. Your muscles flex when you move your arms, the blue light emanating from your veins catching your attention once again as you take a moment to stretch yourself. You wish it felt this way in real life, that this dream you had could be real despite the growing dread in your gut at the thought.

“I would advise not to be moving so irrationally and wait for the rescue team to arrive.” ARON states, “Movement after cryostasis is not recommended and can halt recovery.” You shake your head, giving another breathy sigh as you look at the robot. He’s about the same height as you now and another scanner taking in your current state before he reports again. “However, my reports are indicating that you seem to be perfectly capable of mobility.”

“Better than ever.” You look down at yourself, once again ignoring your nude figure to instead focus on how different everything feels. The pain that used to be in your chest is gone. Your hand comes up to feel over the device there- what did ARON call it? An AFA. It’s warm to the touch, hot actually. You feel over the glass there and notice that it’s giving the lightest of hums, vibrating in your chest. There’s no pain though. Your body feels… feels great. Your head doesn’t hurt either. Aside from the light stinging in your eyes, your head doesn’t hurt. No migraine, no headache, no throbbing, nothing.

You remind yourself that this is all one bad dream.

“I have sent a distress signal to our current location. Please refrain from moving until further orders for evacuation are given.” ARON speaks up, breaking your thoughts as he wheels to be in front of you. “Until then, please stay put.”

You put your arm out in front of the robot and nudge him aside, beginning to rock yourself forward using the metal plates at the end of either leg. “I’ve gotta already be dead if I’m sitting here talking to a robot.” You scoff, struggling to move forward without the use of your legs. Even when they were paralyzed you were still able to somewhat use them with crutches. “I can’t just sit here and wait. I don’t even know where I am. If I’m not dreaming, then maybe one of the doctors is in the hall somewhere and can help me...”

ARON stays put as you hobble on, using what’s left of your legs to shuffle through the dark place. The only sources of light are coming from ARON and yourself, the blue light barely helping in the darkness surrounding you. As your hands touch objects, you find they’re caked in a layer of dirt and debris. You’re suddenly well aware of how stuffy the air feels. It’s thick, yet dry and cold. It’s making you shiver. You can’t see anything in the darkness and have been relying on your touch alone, trying to use it as a guide through the darkness only to be grossed out by practically everything you touch. The grime on your fingertips is making you cringe.

An idea hits and you look back to the robot that’s still sitting in the same spot as before, only a few feet away. “ARON right?” You ask, drawing the robots attention. He quickly rolls over to you when you speak again, “Can you see in the dark? Help me out here.”

The robot comes closer and suddenly metal panels on its side pop open. Out extend one metal arm on either side, rolling around to click into place before fully extending. “I am capable of night vision. What can I assist you with?”

“Can you turn on the lights?” You ask firstly.

“Negative.” The robot’s eyes focus on you. “This facility has lacked power for a long period of time.”

You squint at him, thinking over that for a moment before looking at the pod you woke up in. “Then how was I in cryostasis or whatever?” Saying it out loud made you feel stupid. This wasn’t some sort of Sci-Fi movie. If anything- that just makes you even more suspicious that this was some sort of dream or delusion. “I’m going mad…” Your brain is struggling to catch up, rearing back as you think of what the robot said. ’This facility has lacked power for a long period of time.’ Did that mean there weren’t any doctors in the hall? Were you alone?

“The AFA provided power to your cryostasis unit, allowing the machine to provide an oxygen cycle and function at minimal power.” He states simply. “I can still conduct a mental health check as soon as possible.”

Your brows knit together again as you think, growing irritated with all this nonsense. A mental health check wasn’t going to help you now- you’ve got to be in deep already if you’re sitting here conversing with a robot. “No, no I’m fine I don’t need to be checked up on…” You shake your head and look down to yourself, only for your next question to form. “Is there anything that you can see that I can wear?” You decide to take the little steps first. There are too many gaps that need to be filled in.

ARON’s head swivels around, scanning the room before he suddenly rolls away to a far side of the room. You watch his light move away only to return shortly. In his robotic hands is a lab coat. It’s caked in dust, practically stained from it, but it’s something. “Would this be of any service?”

“It’ll have to do.” You sigh, taking the garment to give it a hard shake and pat down in hopes of knocking some of the dust off. You pull it on only to cringe at the way it barely covers you, only making you more aware of the fact you’re naked. Once you button it up it at least covers your front, leaving you somewhat satisfied, but still feeling somewhat disgusted in yourself. There’s still a thin layer of goo coating your body from the pod. “Can you possibly carry me?” You ask next, looking to ARON who makes no hesitation in picking your small form up.

“This is normally not in my protocol, but the lack of transportation requires the necessary procedures.”

“Something like that…” You mumble in return, shifting to get comfortable in his stiff robotic arms before finally getting a better look around the room. Aside from the various medical supplies and empty pods, there’s not much else. It’s obviously very abandoned. There’s papers stacked up on the table and you point to it, “Go there.” The robot obliges, wheels making little to no noise as he rolls over to the work table as directed.

You begin to peer at them, using the light emanating from your wrist as a guide. Most of the papers were written in languages you don’t understand, but from what you could tell they appeared to be information charts on different patients. Your eyes continue scanning over the documents, shuffling through them quickly. Each time you set one aside ARON scans it silently and you only notice it by the fourth pile you set aside. “You said these facilities are abandoned?” You ask tentatively, still looking through the piles.

“Affirmative.” The robot states matter of factly. “District C-28-A has been abandoned following evacuation following the Omnic Crisis.”

The news halts you, causing you to make a face as you suddenly stop your movements to think. Abandoned. That confirmed your suspicions- there wasn’t anyone here other than you. And, well, this robot you supposed. What did that mean though? Your gut was churning at the thought. This felt like some sort of psychedelic trip, like some cruel prank was being pulled on you. It all felt like some sort of Sci-Fi movie- like you were the terminator or something. You had to be tripping on some sort of drug they’d injected into you before.

But then think back to what ARON said again.

"The AFA provided power to your cryostasis unit, allowing the machine to provide an oxygen cycle and ability to function at minimal power.”

You swallow, eyes re-adjusting to the faint light again to read the documents beneath your fingertips. Despite being written in various different languages, you can still take note of the numbers on the pages. Each has, what you’d like to believe to be, dates in the top right judging based on the dashes that appear between the numbers. The dates range from the year 2024 to 2028. Your fingers dust the pages as you flip through them, only leaving yourself with more questions than answers. The robot carrying you is still paying attention, scanning each page itself as you set them aside.

“Why are you scanning them?” You finally ask once you set the remainder of the pile down.

“Necessary information is in need of collection as for proper documentation procedures.”

“What are you documenting?” Your eyes look around the room again as you ask, trying to see anything else of interest in the low light.

“The paperwork found shows matching information to the PDC’s I have previously collected from the deceased. Using this new information I can fill in the reasons for cryostasis of the deceased patients.”

“Deceased patients?” Your throat suddenly feels dry again as you look around at the various other pods in the room. Whatever haze your mind had been put under was finally beginning to clear up as you searched the room again, this time with a new light in mind. That meant these other pods… have people in them?

Had people in them.

There’s no power.

All of those pods had no lights shining around them in the dark. They must’ve turned off at some point. Your body suddenly feels woozy as you think into it. You only survived because of the device in your chest; at least that’s what ARON said. If it hadn’t been for that then you’d be better off dead just like the rest, like the others. You didn’t want to believe it was real- it can’t be.

“Affirmative. I have confirmed 26 deceased residents. Pods B-9 to D-12.”

Your head whips back to the pod you’d woken in, finding on the side to be a yellow print text. 'D-06'.The ones in the same row have the same yellow paint, all marking different numbers with corresponding letters.

“The one confirmed living resident being D-06.”

“That’s me…?” You ask in a whisper more to yourself than to the robot who confirms your question. Your head reals again, the world feeling too much for the moment. There’s a sudden ping of pain in the back of your skull, a familiar sensation. A headache is coming on. Your hand comes up to touch your temple as you cringe, rubbing there as you’re suddenly hyper aware of the faint humming from your chest. “This can’t be happening to me…” You say quietly, bringing the same hand from your head to your face as you rub your eyes. Nothing feels real yet it all does in a way that makes your stomach bubble. It can’t be. You can’t be some sort of ‘resident’ in this facility- kept alive by some alien device in your chest. It has to be a dream.

You just need to wake up. You have to wake up. You have to wake up.

“Rescue team Charlie-6 will be arriving shortly.” ARON interrupts your thoughts as he begins to move again, wheels crushing debris under your combined weight as he begins to head for what you make to be a door. It’s been melted through by what you would think would be a welding torch, the remaining metal bent out of the way to allow passage that’s the matching height of ARON. “We must ascend to the current highest available altitude.”

“Wait we can’t just-” You duck down as the two of you pass through the ruined door. The robot is no longer listening to you as it wheels onwards, still carrying you light form as you pass through the vast, empty corridors of whatever facility you were in. Your eyes struggle to see in the dark, but you can make out the surrounding area to be some sort of laboratory judging by the various equipment and signs on the walls. Said signs are finally in a language you understand, giving various warnings to all personnel such as ‘Decontamination Zone’ and ‘Please be advised all personnel must carry their firearm at all given times’. The various messages leave you feeling pale, barely even given the chance to fully read all of them as ARON zooms through the building.

As you pass through another room you notice the door’s also seemingly melted open, the heavy metal now cooled and bent to the side. You look down the new hallway to see each room has similar doors, all welded open to the perfect height of your robot companion. It hits you that there is a strong chance ARON had opened the doors himself, possibly to search the rooms as he’d stated before. The area looks nothing like you remember the medical facility had been. The walls were no longer white, instead a sad grey of the metal panelling around you. The floors were similar, all hard, heavy metal tiles that spanned every room.

“...Where are we?” The words finally leave you as you ask, your mind finally beginning to ask the more important questions now that you’re coming to your senses.

“We are currently located in Ukhta, Komi Republic, Russia.” ARON states simply as he continues to wheel the two of you through the unfamiliar halls. “The building we currently reside in was originally used as a housing facility for cryostasis patients. The building was previously owned by Rebund Technologies. The company, officially founded in 2026 after years of ethical debate, formed under the likings of Dr. SJ Felder, now known as Dr. Niel Howser post conviction. The company aimed to be the lead in their field of genetic modification and soon would be. Producing what would soon be known as SLC, the company would only be shut down after numerous protests caused the League of Nations to take notice. SLC would be used in various genetic trials in hopes of altering physical human capabilities. SLC, though highly controversial, would originally be used in various trials known as the Berlin Captives where twenty-six terminally ill patients would be subjected to various, experimental and unethical treatments. These treatments range from the injection of SLC to permanent body augmentation.”

“These trials would be the first known of their kind and the first of early use of SLC. In its original form, SLC was highly unstable and often fatal to those injected. Most injected would then be subjected to various procedures in hope of saving their lives at the risk of medical malpractice. After numerous failed trials, SLC would reach its final form in 2026 and be presented to the Board of Medicine where it’s successful trials would allow Dr. Niel Howser, now taking the name of Dr. SJ Felder, to become a world renowned scientist. His research would later allow the first uses of SEPs in the United States military prior to the Omnic Crisis.”

You took the information in silently, listening to every detail as if it were the last.

That uneasy feeling had grown in your gut. This was no longer some sort of twisted, drug induced dream. Your mind was beginning to spin with forgotten details, flashbacks from the medical table where you were semi-conscious, listening to the yelling of doctor’s above you. It was all still blurry, you couldn’t see any of their faces- but you could hear them.

”Das funktioniert vielleicht nicht einmal - sie ist bereits in einem kritischen Zustand!” A female voice stated, followed by the sound of a hand slamming onto a table which causes equipment to raddle. The commotion in the room was almost deafening as various people worked frantically around the table. You can hear the sound of electricity whipping around in your ears, a familiar humming growing louder.

“Aussehen! Siehst du nicht!? Das ist unsere Chance. Wir können sie noch retten - wir müssen uns nur beeilen!” A familiar, male voice said close to your ear.

“Bist du verrückt!? Eine so hohe Dosis wird sie augenblicklich töten!” The woman spoke again, voice pleading and high in pitch.

“Denken Sie jetzt nicht darüber nach! Eile! Bereiten Sie eine weitere Bluttransfusion vor-”


The feeling of ARON coming to a halt brought you back to reality. You were breathing hard, sweating from the memory that left your hands shaking in fear. The robot carrying you had stopped in the middle of a long corridor, looking at you with a grid sensor as you trembled in his arms. “I have noticed the elevated pressure of your AFA has caused tremors. Are you in need of immediate medical intervention?” The robot asked curiously.

Everything was beginning to line up. This wasn’t a dream- but it can’t be. Everything was beginning to feel all too real. The metal cradling you was suddenly cool to the touch, the air was cold and dry, the sounds of the abandoned, creaking facility were ringing in your ears along with ARON’s echoing voice. You swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath as you looked at the robot again. “No… no, I’m fine, just keep moving…” You sounded weak, fear beginning to ice your electric veins as you thought of your current predicament. As ARON began moving again, your mind quickly began to wonder. The pieces of the puzzle were finally beginning to fall into place.

You were a test subject used and abandoned, left in a cryostasis unit to die if not for the device planted in your chest. Your legs at some point had been amputated. This robot has discovered you. You were somehow in Russia? The facilities were abandoned.

Everything was beginning to ring in your ears, your mind struggling to catch up. It all felt wrong. Your stomach was churning uncomfortably, suddenly very aware of how empty it was. Your throat was dry and beginning to grow hoarse as you continued to speak despite the lack of hydration. The pain in your head had doubled, a migraine coming back full force as if it’d never left to begin with. And here you were almost believing you’d been cured of whatever ailment it was that caused them to begin with. At least your chest didn’t hurt… however the device planted in it didn’t help ease the oncoming nerves beginning to tighten there. If you focused in on it, you could hear the faint humming it provided.

Suddenly, light began to fill the area and you looked forward to see the exit door was welded open, allowing light to pour in from the outside. You reached down to hold the oversized lab coat closer, covering yourself further in case anyone were to be outside; don’t want them seeing you entirely nude of course. As if you could even help that to begin with.

Finally, ARON rolled out into the light.

The outside light was blinding, forcing you to bring a hand up to your face to shield you from the sun. The first thing to hit you is the frigid air. It’s cold and immediately makes your body shiver. Your eyes were struggling to adjust, not used to being used in such brightly lit areas. As your hand provided a shadow you were able to see beyond, looking to see various empty, snow covered buildings. Dirt and debris had been blown against their foundations. Windows were cracked or blown out, walls were gaping and sparse greenery was beginning to blossom through the debris of a town that once stood. You looked behind you to the building casting a shadow over your small figure. The two of you had exited through a side door that had a simple exit sign above it. Other than that, the building held no other noticeable features. It was built from bricks, many of which were already beginning to crumble.

It’s deadly quiet. The only sounds are coming from ARON as he rolls along the street where his wheels roll over melting snow in the road. Your attention keeps shifting to the buildings back to yourself as your body suddenly feels chilled. The lab coat is doing next to nothing to comfort you, allowing air to breeze up your arms in the sleeves. You shivered again, your breaths coming out in steamy puffs against your lips. There was snow caking the buildings and roads, but fortunately it wasn’t currently snowing. As ARON rolled along the snow-covered roads, following a path his wheels had seemingly made previously, your mind went back to what he was saying before. Dr. Howser. You can still somehow recall his face fully, but the new information still echoed in your ears like a bad mantra. Tentative, you spoke up to ask the robot for more information. “Who was Dr. Howser?” As you spoke your eyes went ahead to the road you two were still rolling along, ARON’s tires treading through the light snow easily.

“Dr. Niel Howser, known under the alias Dr. SJ Felder, was the leading scientist at Rebund Technologies." The robot starts, speaking as if he were reading straight from wiki article. "His works are world renowned and would be known to be a great asset to the war efforts. However, following the evacuation, his original works would be exposed to the eyes of the community as it would be found that Dr. SJ Felder was only an alias used by Dr. Niel Howser who was believed to have died following a lab incident. It is now known that Dr. Howser faked his death to evade authorities after the Berlin Captives were found in late 2027. Now known as Dr. SJ Felder, Howser would continue his work on SLC in hopes that the people would forget of his past experiments. This would work as he received multiple cosmetic surgeries to alter his features, allowing him to live without the weight of his previous experiments hindering his success.”

Your brow creased again as you thought, trying to piece it all together as if you possibly could. “What is SLC?” In the back of your mind, the pain seemed to snap back to life at the thought of it. Instinctively, your hand came up to rub your temple again. Your mind drifted back to the lab, to the injection you received strapped to the table. Were those experiments you partook in what ARON was referring to? He mentioned something about Berlin Captives? You were some sort of survivor?

“SLC, also known as Sultriat Laporis Capria, was created by Dr. Neil Howser prior to conviction. SLC was first created in hopes of curing common cancers, believed to be discovered by an accidental trial sometime in early 2019. The substance was, however, found to be highly lethal as the procedure would leave permanent damage to the patient in its wake. It wouldn’t be refined until late 2020 when Dr. Howser began the Berlin Regenesis Trials, now known as the Berlin Captives. In the beginning, SLC would be used on lab rats initially. It would be Howser to first introduce human subjects to SLC after findings of a rat named Benny would survive its initial inject and researchers would come to find SLC was capable of re-writing one's genetics. The rat was found to have accelerated intelligence and regenerative capabilities. This would lead Howser to believe that if a human were to survive the initial trials, then they would be capable of similar results.”

“However, only two of the original patients admitted were known to have survived these trials. Howser would search for terminally ill patients, those who had little time left, many with life threatening conditions and diseases, to participate in the trials with little information given in return. The trials were not regulated and found to be illegal, voiding any contracts signed by patients. Due to recovered documents, it was found only one patient was known to still be living. They stood trial during Howser Vs Kelber where Howser was convicted of his past crimes. The remaining patient’s whereabouts would be left unknown and Howser would later admit in custody that the final patient would be subjected to early cryostasis experiments in Paris following their initial trials. Little information is known on the remaining patient.”

Your face felt cold as your heart dropped into your gut.

This wasn’t a dream anymore, it was reality, you could feel it in your bones. The air was cold against your face, cooling your lungs as you took a deep breath and brought a hand up to rub your eyes once again. It was too much. The sudden urge to cry came forth as you swallowed down the lump in your throat, but the throbbing pain in the back of your head was stopping it momentarily. Your mind was reeling again, trying to find something to grab onto for purchase so you could make sense of it all. There was too much at once, all over again you felt as if your gut was being pulled on by a fishing hook.

“I have noticed the elevated pressure of your AFA has caused tremors. Are you in need of-”

You shook your head frantically, “No I’m fine. I’m fine.” After swallowing down again, you took a deep breath as the next question came forth. “Whatever happened to Dr. Howser? You said he was convicted.”

“He was. In the year 2068, Dr. Neil Howser was convicted and found guilty of his past crimes. Now at the age of 97, the doctor stayed healthy due to his own exposure to SLC as well as his own genetic modifications.” ARON stated simply. It made you smile, a wave of relief coming over you as you thought about it. You shouldn’t be so grateful that the man responsible for your current condition, or at least you suspect responsible, was caught. “However,” ARON spoke again. “The following year in 2069 Howser would escape captivity during his transportation to Ukon Prison in North France. It is suspected that the terrorist organization Talon was responsible for the incident. Howser has not been seen or heard of since, however it is believed he is still living.”

Once again, dread filled your gut and your hands clenched to fists.

You had so many unanswered questions. Nothing was being solved and you just felt as if you were being thrown to the dogs with each passing second, even if you were being given information. You looked back out at the snowy ghost town and sighed. Where were you two even going? Right, you were supposedly getting rescued. Hopefully by humans, ones that could give you more information that felt genuine not pulled from some database. You needed to find answers and fast.

Suddenly, ARON came to a stop once you reached the centre of the town where a statue of a woman stood. It was covered in snow and bird poop. One of the arms was missing and you were able to spot it a bit away, broken off with black soot smearing the white marble. You frowned as you looked around, getting another good view of the area to see more futuristic buildings, all with their neon signs off. In mixed old, brick buildings, somehow still standing now next to the more modern looking complexes. Still, not a person in sight.

Finally, you allowed your mind the moment to catch up and you let out a quiet sigh. “I feel that I’ve been heavily misplaced.” You say simply, looking down at what remains of your legs. Again, your fingers come down to feel the stubs, grazing over the metal plating that protects the amputated section. It pulls a sob from your chest as you think too hard into it. You weren’t able to walk properly before to begin with, but coming to your senses only to find your legs have been forcefully taken without permission wasn’t a good feeling. The tears that slipped down your cheeks were painful as your throat already felt dry enough. Your hand came up to wipe them away, clutching the lab coat closer as ARON’s eye lights peered down at you.

Who even were you anymore? Nothing felt real, but nothing felt fake either.


You wanted to go home.


You wanted to just close your eyes and fall asleep, wake up at home where your mother would cook you, your favourite meal like you’d asked before. Where you didn’t have to worry about a thing. You could lay in bed all day without a single worry in mind, listen to the cicadas outside before limping out into the front yard where you’d greet your mother as she came home from work.

Where was she now? Was she even living?

The idea made your chest sting and another painful sob was pulled from you as more tears forcefully made their way down your cheeks. You didn’t even know what day it was. What time, the year, nothing. You didn’t know what to believe either. For all you know, this could still all be a horrible dream. You could wake up at any second, still possibly strapped to a medical bed where you’d only just been in searing pain. It’d still be better than this. You felt so alone, trapped in a body you could still make out to be yours- being informed on past events by some robot. It all felt so surreal.

The loud, booming sound of an engine catches your attention.

As you look to the sky, wind begins to whip through the area as a large ship begins its descent. It looks something right out of a video game or movie, gray in colour with enormous jets allowing it to glide through the air. It’s nothing like you’d ever seen. It causes your eyes to go wide, impressed with such an aircraft. It lands in the open area of the town centre, the ground rumbling beneath its weight as the engines slowly die down with an ear-piercing hum. You watch as a door slides open from the side and a ramp is drawn from beneath, allowing the soldiers to step out into the frigid air.

ARON now makes his way towards them, still carrying you in his arms as he boards the aircraft where soldiers are waiting. All are in uniforms, supporting the Russian flag sewn into the chest pad. The first two to approach you are supporting familiar medic armbands and speak to one another in Russian, leaving you to stare as they suddenly begin checking over you for signs of injury. You’re taken aback by the sudden touching, putting your hands up in defense as they go to check for a heartbeat. The door to the aircraft slides shut behind you and the engines start again, causing a roaring echo in the room as you feel your weight shift once the aircraft takes off. Once it’s going, however, you can barely even tell that you are in the air. A quick glance out the window is the only thing that supports that.

“Do not worry, we are here to help. We are a part of the Siberian Outreach Foundation. We have been informed of your current condition and are here to transport you to the nearest medical facility.” The first medic says in broken English, smiling and even throwing you a thumbs up.

It still doesn’t ease you though, too much happening all at once. You shift in the robot’s arms, “No. No, I don't know what’s happening. I don’t belong here.” The words fumble out of your mouth as you shake your head, swatting away their hands as either medic looks to one another in concern. “I was apparently in cryostasis? How is that even possible, how is any of this possible?” The world feels as if it’s beginning to warp around you as you look around, catching the eyes of the other soldiers in the aircraft that are staring at your outburst in confusion.

“Confusion is common among those who wake from cryostasis.” The second medic finally speaks, smiling in a friendly manner as they pull a device from their belt. A laser grid much similar to the one ARON uses appears, scanning over your body only for the handheld device to beep. The soldier frowns and looks to their comrade, “Там нет чипа?” He says in his native tongue, going for a second scan. The same results occur and his brows knit together as he looks to you. “Eer,” He struggles to find the words. “Where is your PDC? I cannot seem to locate it.”

“I was unable to locate a data chip in the patient.” ARON speaks up, “She also is in possession of an AFA.”

The colour drops from the medic’s faces and a few of their comrades stand suddenly, many of them putting their hands over their handguns. Panic fills you as you raise your hands in defense, breaths beginning to rise as you swallow hard. “No, no I don’t know what that is- I don’t know how I have it.” You stammer, looking at the soldiers with wide, fearful eyes. In the back you’re able to spot one of them speaking into an earpiece, eyes locked onto you as he speaks in Russian. Through the words you hear him briefly switch to English, mentioning AFA. The others are still staring at you, now looking on edge much how you were upon first boarding the aircraft.

“Where is it?” The first medic says in a much colder tone than before.

You swallow before reaching down to unbutton the first clasp of the lab coat, exposing the centre of your chest where the device is firmly implanted. The medic’s eyes go wide and he turns to his colleague to whisper. You’re left to watch on in fear as they converse in another language, leaving you to sit hopelessly in the robot’s arms. Eventually you reach down to feel over the device, wondering of its importance and why they all seemed so fearful of it.

“Uh-er, you said you don’t know how you have it?” The medic asks, causing you to nod feverishly.

“Yes, yes I have no idea. Look, prior to being found by this thing,” You pause to gesture to ARON. “I was in a hospital supposedly getting treated for my disease. I woke up covered in goo, in a dark room I’d never seen before and being told that I was in some sort of cryostasis pod?” Your voice is pleading as you ramble on, hands beginning to shake again as you attempt to explain yourself. And so you begin to ramble on about yourself, telling the soldiers your name, birthday, where you lived in the states and how you’d gone to Germany in hopes of being treated for the disease you’d been suffering from. You momentarily pause when you get to your legs, mentioning how previously you had been paralyzed from the knee down. Tears come forth again when you look down at them, reminding yourself of the grim reality of your own body.

The room seems to calm due to your outburst, seeing you not as a threat no longer. The medic extends a hand to place it to your shoulder, rubbing it gently with a soothing smile. “We apologise for making you uncomfortable. Your condition seems… odd, you said you have no memory of receiving the device?”

You relax under the medic’s touch and nod. “None. Seriously, I have no idea why I have it. I don’t even know what it is or does, all I know is that it’s some sort of big deal.” You look down at your arms, seeing your veins were still glowing faintly in the new light. “Please, believe me."

Notes:

I haven't written a FanFic in many, many years. I hope this work will be a longer one with a slow build and rich in story.

Sorry no major characters are introduced yet, but I promise they will be soon!

 

I was heavily inspired by a different FanFic called Watch Your Step that I know many Junkrat / Roadhog fans probably remember.
This is not my spin or take on it, it's merely influenced somewhat.

Thank you for reading, be on the lookout for updates! :))

Chapter 2: The Siberian Outreach Foundation

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

They believe you.

After a short check up from the paramedics, they explain that once they reach the foundation headquarters you’d be subjected for further tests due to your current conditions. The medic is kind enough to give you a fire blanket available to which you wrap yourself in immediately, still well aware that you are only partially covered. They apologise over not having a wheelchair available, but you simply shake your head and say that’s alright. Instead, ARON is left to hold you, stating that the aircraft chairs would not be short enough to fasten you in safely. The metal is cold to your skin as you sit in his arms with a blanket now wrapped around you.

It was explained that they would conduct a full evaluation on you once you reached the foundation headquarters. For now, you’d just have to wait until arrival. You’re left to your own devices, which is nothing. You stare at the floor in thought, trying to wrap your head around everything. There was simply too much happening. You still didn’t want to believe any of it was real, but the facts were beginning to lay out in front of you like a red flare in the night sky. You simply couldn’t ignore it any longer.

The flight was alarmingly short, but you were tired of asking such minimal questions.

There were bigger matters at hand and it started with you.

The Orca landed and the team stepped out into a snowy field that led to a large military base. Your eyes widened at the sight, not expecting to see such a building. It was in the middle of a pine forest covered in layers of snow. The sky was cloudy and as you looked up to it, you could see tiny flakes of snow were beginning to fall. ARON carried you out, followed closely by the armed guards and the two medics who escorted you into the facility. Your attention focused from the Orca that suddenly took off ahead, heading overheard to the other side of the base, to the front of you where you were being taken into the base through the hanger. Military cars were parked in the area, many housing turrets and other fire powers. The sight suddenly made you think harder on it; was there some sort of war happening? ARON did mention something about evacuation.

You were led into the facility and straight to the medical wing where people had seemingly been waiting for your arrival. That assumption was only made due to the fact that supplies were ready in your stead. A wheelchair, for starters, which you were quickly placed in by ARON, keeping the blanket over your barely covered figure. The nurses there thanked the medical officers who gave you a tiny salute before leaving. The armed guards stood post at the door, but three of the five left, only leaving two behind. ARON stayed as well, arms now retracted into his metal frame, he stayed posted at the door with the soldiers.

“Hello, my name is Alina.” The lead nurse spoke up, her English well as she pushed your wheelchair further into the infirmary. “We’ve been made well aware of your conditions. We want you to know that we are here to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask anything. I’ll be your caretaker for the remainder of your recovery here.”

Instantly, you felt at peace. This woman seemed to be… welcoming. Her voice was soothing in a way that reminded you of your mothers, allowing you to ask questions freely without hesitation. “Where are we and what is this place?” You felt a little guilty for speaking so frantically, but you couldn’t help it. You had questions that needed answers.

“This is the SO Foundation, the Siberian Outreach Foundation. We are a government run operating base set up with the evacuation and rescue of stranded residents of various districts.” She said simply. “We are currently in Kirov, Russia. Would you tell me a bit about what you remember? I was informed you were under cryostasis and are experiencing memory loss.”

“It’s not memory loss; at least I don’t think it is.” You state firmly. “I don’t know how I got there, but I can tell you it wasn’t willingly.” Your eyes glance down to your legs, causing you to frown before quickly looking away ahead. “I can tell you everything I did up until the moment I climbed onto the table for my quote on quote, experimental treatments.”

The nurse looks a little shocked at your words, but nods anyway. “Start with what you remember beforehand. I’ll take notes and we’ll see what we can do.”

So you do.

You start at the beginning of your illness, explaining how your condition worsened over a short period of time. The headaches, the muscle pains, the chest pains, everything and anything you could remember. You graze over the mental struggles, not ready to talk about it just yet- right now you need to find out how you got here, not how to treat yourself. All while the nurse listens, she wheels you into what appears to be a bathroom and states they need to get the cryotic fluid, that still remains dried to your skin, off. So you pause your explanation, stopping the story right before you were to explain how you arrived in Germany.

It’s awkward and uncomfortable for someone to help you bathe. You initially ask to be left alone to do so, but she states that she wanted to take a better look at the device implanted in your chest first to ensure you’d be able to bathe with it. So you let her, feeling exposed as you sit in the tub with a nurse crouched at your side, looking to your chest and then to your back. You’re cautious of your new bodily modifications, however, she finds that they’re fully healed. It’s a relief. You didn’t know if you’d be able to mentally handle everything had you had to deal with the pain of these devices as well. By now the curtain has been drawn back, allowing you to scrub away the dried gooey substance still clinging to every crevice of your skin. You’re thankful that Alina didn’t make things awkward, she seemed to be more interested in her work.

Once you’re done bathing Alina gives you a towel to begin trying off before momentarily excusing herself to fetch something. You sigh in defeat as you look down at yourself again. Entirely naked, sitting in the bathtub alone, having to rely on someone else to help you. What a horrible, horrible feeling. You always hated feeling useless and now you feel more useless than ever. The thought is sticking to the forefront of your mind like a bad taste.

It’s only soothed by the reminder that this wasn’t your choice. You didn’t agree to any of this.

When Alina returns she’s holding a pile of neatly folded, gray medical attire. A sweater to begin with, then the pants where she helps roll them up over your knees for you. With her help you’re now dressed and crack a poor joke about how you felt embarrassed to need her help. “Oh, don’t worry one bit.” She says in a loving voice, “This is my job. I am here to help you, not judge you. Besides, from the sounds of it, I think that in no time you’ll be able to do this yourself once we can find you fitting prosthetics.”

Your brows raise at the thought as you settle down into the wheelchair, “Prosthetics?”

She nods, “I’m sure there are some spare parts lying around here somewhere. If not, we’ll find a way to get you some.”

You hadn’t thought about that one bit. And now as you do, your eyes look down to the stubs on your knees where the plating is now clean. “Do you know what this is?” You ask timidly, pointing to the metal plating on either knee cap. “Like I said before, I woke up this way.”

“I believe it to be an omnotic implant, but we won’t be certain until we conduct an x-ray.” She says as she drains the bathtub before looking at you only to use her pen to point to the device. “See, here where the amputation occurred a cap is put overhead to prevent growth and allow the implant to be placed.” Her smile sticks as she uses her pen to graze over the parts of your thigh and knee. “If my suspicions are correct, there will be an attachment to the ligament here. You simply plug in a prosthetic to the clamp here,” She points to the clamps on the side of the implant’s base. “And you’re good to go. It’s a common procedure.”

As you listen you nod along, taking in her words carefully and watching where her pen moves. Timidly, your hand comes down again to feel over the implant. It’s firmly attached to the skin, the metal cold to the touch. You feel the clamps on the side as she’d mentioned beforehand. It seems simple, but you have a feeling it’s far more complex than you could even imagine.

“Don’t think too hard about it.” Alina says quietly, snapping your attention to her as she offers a comforting smile. “I understand it’s a very drastic change and I’m sorry this has happened to you without your consent.” Her hands grab the handles of the wheelchair and she begins to push you out of the bathroom, back into the infirmary. “We need to conduct a blood sample and a simple x-ray.”

“What’s the blood sample for?” You ask quietly, attention turning ahead of you to look around the facility as the two of you move through it. It’s very… futuristic. Though by now you assumed that it is futuristic. All the walls were white with various lights strewn about, lining the hall and lighting it comfortably. There are numerous rooms, most with patients in them that are still in their military uniforms. Alina did state this was a military operation, so it made sense, but the sight of so many soldiers was making a knot in your throat form. Soldiers, injured ones especially, weren’t a great sign.

“ARON’s reports read that he’s found an enigma in your readings during the scan he conducted.” She states simply. “Aside from that, we need to know other basic information such as blood type and screen you for any possible diseases.”

“Oh.” That's all you can say in return. Your attention turns to your arm, down to the veins that shine through the skin. A question bubbles to your throat, but you stomp it out silently. You have a feeling that soon your questions will receive answers, you just need to be patient.



The sliding doors fascinate you in a manner that makes you feel childish. How could you not be interested in all this new technology? Even the lights were fancy it seemed.

The room was smaller than the ones you’d passed, obviously made to be more private. Alina stepped away to a monitor display, touching the screen for the device to wake. Your eyes were fixed on her as you watched, fascinated with all the new technology suddenly being put on display for you. The keyboard was holographic, coming out in front of the monitor to allow the doctor to type. It was hard to tell what exactly she was typing, given it was in Russian, mainly due to the angle you were sitting at. So you stopped to look down at your chair, finding it to be far less technologically advanced than practically anything surrounding you. You put your hands on either handrim and tentatively push forward, rolling yourself closer to the doctor to watch her.

Now at a better view you could tell it was a form. Various boxes had already been filled in, some highlighting red to what you’d assume to be missing information. The doctor suddenly paused however and glanced back at you. “Is the birth date correct?” She swiped her hand, causing the screen to suddenly switch to English. You could finally read the text filling each box, the first few being your name and birth date. As your mouth opened to ask how they’d gotten that information, given she hadn’t asked, you remember ARON asking you back at the building.

“Uhm, yes it’s correct.” You nod after reading it over again, “Though my height and weight are probably wrong.”

The doctor nods as she switches the language back before continuing to type. “First thing’s first, let’s get some blood drawn… then we’ll do an x-ray scan.” Her words trail off as she steps away from the computer to prepare a clean needle. You sit patiently as she prepares you and then draws blood, trying her best to comfort you with encouraging small talk. A nod is all you could muster, taking in a deep breath right as she withdrawals the needle. In a second she’s out of the room, excusing herself and you’re left alone. Thankfully it’s only for a second as she returns apologising before stating she had to hand it off to the lab. She steps back to the computer afterwards and begins typing again, filling out larger seconds at the bottom of the chart.

You feel awkward waiting, not knowing what was being written down. A part of you wants to ask her to switch it back to English so you could understand, but you also don’t want to come off as rude. A crude, rude part of you wants to say that you deserve to know. You’d been thrown out into this new world with little to no explanation as to why, stripped of your dignity, and expected to just… just what? Just go back to normal? What were you even going to do now?

The sinking, overwhelming feeling of hopelessness suddenly pulled at the back of your mind.

“Okay, let’s get you all scanned.” The doctor’s voice pulls you back in, causing you to look up to her with a kind smile. “She’s trying to help me.” You think to yourself as you’re wheeled off into a joining room where a large machine sits. In a matter of minutes you’re set into it, looking a little confused as it’s no x-ray you’d ever seen before. Alina reassures you that it’s a standard device as she helps lay you down on the white table that, by the look of it, slides into the machine. That’s confirmed to you only a minute later as she steps aside to the control panel to press a button, causing the table to slide into the device.

It’s claustrophobic. Your chest feels tight as fear dares to creep up on you as the lights come on, causing your breaths to shake as a whirling, electric buzz is heard. Simultaneously, you feel your chest buzzing. The device implanted into it has begun to hum louder than before, making you shiver as jolts of electric shock roll down your arms. It’s not an unpleasant feeling, but most definitely not comfortable either. Your teeth grind together as the scan continues, more electric jolts causing your hands to jerk uncomfortably.

Then, just as fast as it started, it stopped.

You’re let free from the machine and Alina helps you back into the wheelchair before rolling you into the previous room once more. The moment feels long as you wait for her to say something, long breaths being taken as you stare at the floor. Eventually, she’s the first to speak. “I’m sorry for making you feel rushed.” She says with a small frown as she resumes typing on the computer as she’d done before. “It’s just that, with you having an AFA, we need to get things done as quickly as possible.”

Now that it’s finally mentioned, you feel the need to ask properly. “What is that?”

Alina stops her typing with a small, “Hm?”

“The AFA. What is that?” Your voice is sounding more solid, more confident. No more beating around the bush, you needed answers. “That robot thing from before told me about it. The AFA. It’s some sort of aomical fusion thingy?”

“Aomical fusion accelerator.” Alina confirms with a small nod, her attention now fully drawn to you. The look on her face is showing confusion and she seems to struggle with her next line. “How did you come into pos-”

You cut her off, “I keep telling everyone I don’t know what it is!” Your voice grows loud out of frustration. “I don’t understand how that’s not been relayed.” A frown tugs at the corners of your mouth as you stare back. “Let me explain one more time. I woke up with no memory of ever being put into… into cryostasis or cryosleep- whatever you all call it. I don’t know what happened to me, why I’m here, why I’m… why I’m like this.” On your final words you gesture to yourself, hands waving up and down your legs before pointing to the glowing coming from your chest. “I didn’t get to finish my story earlier before you made me bathe.” The frown on your lips has grown solid by now and the determined look in your eyes falls as it’s replaced with weary ones. “I signed up for experimental trials. I was sick- I am sick. I was paralyzed, in pain, and losing my damn mind. I still feel like I’m losing my mind- none of this feels real.” Tears are peeking at the corners of your eyes again, “I want… I just want someone to listen to me. I need answers.”

Alina is taken aback by your outburst, her expression turning sour as she’s visibly riddled with guilt. “... I’m sorry.” She stops and turns, grabbing her desk chair to wheel it over before sitting across from you. “Let’s start from the beginning then. I’ll listen, I won’t interrupt you.” Her smile returns and brings comfort.



So once again, you explain yourself.

This time Alina listens, nodding along without breaking eye contact. She only interrupts you politely to ask if she can continue taking notes to which you agree. Now with the holoscreen in front of her, she writes down the details you give her. Everything and anything you could remember. Germany, the facility, Dr. Howser, any dates you could remember, any times. Then your story turns deeper as you explain your confusion with the information given by ARON, mainly Dr. Howser. Her expression has turned to one of seriousness by the end of your tale and you could tell there was a new determination in her eyes.

When you finish off at the end where you were picked up by the rescue team. “I’ll have to confirm with my colleagues in Germany… but I feel as if we’ve stumbled across something both remarkable and terrifying.”  Her words make you feel better, but only because you finally have a sense of relief. Someone’s finally listened to you- someone’s going to help you. At least you hope. You want to trust her, you truly do, but with everything that has happened… how could you not be fearful?

Alina is back at the computer typing again. “2021… goodness. There’s no telling how long you’ve been in cryostasis…” The words leave her mouth in a whisper, but you catch them and it makes a lump form in your throat. She hadn’t asked many questions in return… but that doesn’t make you feel any better.

Your heart drops at her words, eyes now glued to the floor as your mind reels again. It’s never a good sign to see a doctor look shocked by your condition… even worse to see her worried over your time in cryostasis. “Are there… Are there any major side effects from being in cryostasis for too long?” You ask, simply wanting to fill the silence between the two of you. There’s tension now and it’s uncomfortable.

You can tell the doctor is suddenly unsure of what to do or think. Her hands keep hesitating as she types, pausing and unpausing over and over. It takes her a minute to answer your question, “There are. However, your situation is… different.” She finally brings up the results of your x-ray, swiping the screen towards you so you could see. For a second you're captured by the holoscreen suddenly appearing before you, but after merely a second your eyes focus on the images. “As I stated before, and as ARON mentioned in his report, your major organs have failed and the AFA has taken over.” She pulls the pen from her coat pocket to draw your attention to the x-ray results.

It looks… wrong.

In the centre of your chest lie the AFA, illuminating the entire section aside from a quarter sized spot in the middle which seems hollow. The most shocking revelation is that you have no heart. It’s gone. The AFA has replaced it’s previous spot. As you gaze at it, your hand comes down to feel over the device through the sweater you wore. All of your organs seem to be glowing in various locations, bright light on the x-ray that seems to be focused in the upper half of your body. At your head you spotted another metal mass behind your right eye socket. The sight of it on the x-ray made you draw your hand up to feel over the spot, finding cold metal laying flat to your skull. The lower half looks more normal aside from the section where your legs end at the knee. Like the doctor had said before, her suspicions were true and you had two omnotic implants on either leg. She pointed to them with her pen, explaining how the device worked. You could see the metal rods in your thighs, making you wonder how on earth you didn’t feel them whenever you stood on them.

Finally you get the answer you’ve been searching for.

“An AFA is an aomical fusion accelerator.” Alina states firmly as she points to the section on the x-ray with her pen. “It generates an abundance of energy.” She turns to you fully as she explains, “I’ve never gotten the chance to see one up close before- let alone in a person.” The news seems to make her smile a little, seemingly getting excited over the prospect. “However, that’s not all.” She uses the tips of her fingers to suddenly zoom in on the x-ray, showing you a cluster of nerves growing around the device. “From what I can tell, your body has grown around it. It constantly generates power, much like a nuclear reactor would, however at a very, very minimal scale.” She uses the tip of her finger to circle parts of the x-ray, pointing to your heart and lungs. “Without it, your organs, at this point, would die. Your body has accepted it, fused with it.”

The news makes your brows knit together in confusion, “But… but how?” You ask timidly. “I-I’m sorry I’ve never been good at science before I-”

“S.L.C.” Alina interrupts you, putting her hand out to pull over a second screen to show your blood results. You stop dead in your tracks, your mind repeating what ARON had mentioned before about the substance. “We found traces of it in your blood.”

Recalling what ARON had said, you were beginning to put two and two together. “S-So what? Am I just some sort of mutant?” It was something right out of a Marvel comic- it can’t be real. You’d been injected with some sort of mutative drug then forcefully given some sort of new heart? It was unreal. “Oh my god…” You managed a pitiful laugh at yourself, bringing a hand up to cup your own face as you thought on it. “Why?” It’s too much. You can’t think straight anymore as tears force their way forth, bubbling in your eyes as a sob wrecks you. “Why me? Why did this have to happen to me?”

Alina frowns, stepping forward to put her hand on your shoulder. She doesn’t say anything this time as you begin to cry, not knowing how to comfort you. However, the silence is comforting. You lean towards her with another sob, reaching your arms around to hug her for desperate need for comfort.


Who even were you anymore? What was your purpose?


Eventually, you calmed enough for Alina to step away and view your chart again.

It was dead quiet in the room now, leaving you feeling guilty for having another outburst. Alina did attempt to comfort you again, but at this point you’d caved in on yourself. There was too much… far too much. All at one without any remorse- like a bullet to the chest. The back of your mind was beginning to throb with pain once again, leaving you to rub it with a sigh. The noise caught the doctor’s attention once again as she cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I’m going to send your records off to a colleague in the states.” She said quietly, waiting for you to look up to her before she continued. “Hopefully we’ll be able to track down your records and give us some more information about what happened.” The same soft smile she had before returned, comforting without asking for anything in return. “In the meantime, you’ll be stuck here due to your condition.” She pointed to your chest, causing you to glance down at it as if you could see it.

“I don’t understand…” Your voice was weak as you spoke, “What’s so great about it? Why are people so scared?”

Alina frowned and with a sigh took her seat again. “AFAs used to be used in nuclear grade weapons. Ones strong enough to power rockets.”

“So what?” Your brows knitted together in confusion. “It’s inside of me, how does that make me a threat?”

“You do not understand.” Alina’s frown grew, “You are seen as a weapon. For a person to have one of these in their chests- it means you were designed to hold power. There has only been a record of two other people having this sort of implant. Do you want to know what happened to them?” Something was telling you that you didn’t want to know… but you nodded anyway. “They overcharged and boom!” She made a motion with her hands. “Two cities, gone.”

Your eyes went wide at the thought, struggling to piece together what the doctor was trying to tell you. “Wait, they overcharged? The device did?” She nodded. “You’re telling me that, at any moment, I could overcharged and explode?”

“Not exactly.” She shook her head, “AFAs were originally put into omnics as a last ditch effort during the war. They would run in and purposely overcharge to self destruct. Suicide bombers, if you must call them. With people, however, it was different. Our bodies aren’t meant to house such energy- there’s no way to expel it.”

The new information caught you off guard and you squinted at her. “... Omnics? War?”

Alina stopped, eyes going wide as she thought about it. “Of course… you were in cryostasis.” She frowned. “You have missed so much.”



The current year was 2076 and the majority of the world was at war.

It took over a week for you to finally catch up to date, but even now as you watch the news- you are still learning new information. Alina tried her best to fill you in, but there was just… just so much. One can’t simply go forward over fifty years and expect to catch up in ten minutes. Back in school it took nearly four grades just to learn about American history. Imagine that, only doubled and with the entire world. Of course you didn’t oppose learning any of it, if anything you were the one pushing yourself to. You needed to figure out what happened, how you got here, why are you here? Surely you wouldn’t have survived all of this madness just to be of no use now.

The first week you weren’t allowed to do much. Alina had stated that she didn’t want to limit you, but she was forced to until your background was cleared. Her colleague in the states reached back to her at the end of your first week with some information. It was hard to find, but they did locate your records. It would be the first sign of evidence that you existed. Birth certificate, social security, medical records- all of it was thankfully filed and put into the system. It was a relief you weren’t expecting, but a welcomed one.

It was an odd experience receiving your PDC. It was implanted into your wrist once it was explained to you that it worked as an ID and would allow you to move around more freely given you could now be tracked. The “being tracked” part wasn’t a good feeling… but there wasn’t much you could do.

Alina had stated the chances of you being released back into the populace was unlikely due to the AFA.

In short- they didn’t trust you.

You truthfully don’t blame them. A girl wakes from a cryochamber with no memory and a nuclear implant in her chest and expects to be allowed to walk freely among people? Unlikely. Highly unlikely. Which is why you didn’t complain. For now at least you were being taken care of.

The second goal of background checking you was more… difficult task.

Alina had sent for your records from Germany as she needed to verify your background with Dr. Howser. What came back was a vague transcript of your time at the facility. It had already been said that the records kept during the Berlin Regenesis Trials were miniscule. All that was kept was a record of your arrival, time being suspected of “treatment”, and your departure. Nothing else. The information was frustrating, leaving Alina and yourself somehow feeling more lost than before. The only glimmer of hope given was the fact that you had record of being there and being treated. Alina had confirmed you were treated with SLC. What side effects did you receive from it? She’s unsure.

The doctor did take a few more samples from you and one of the first things she was able to confirm was that your cells regenerate at an alarming speed. That was only discovered after she’d taken a tissue sample from your arm and was shocked to see the skin she’d removed had already healed over in a matter of minutes. She wrote down all of her findings. Your cells seemed… amplified. Alina was excited to take on your case and it made you smile to see her writing down all of her findings. She sent everything she had to her colleague in the states, stating that they were experts in this field given they had apparently worked in the SEP trials at the start of the war. Alina had made a joke about you going to meet some of the SEPs given you were similar.

You didn’t like to think of yourself as them.

You weren’t a soldier.

You didn’t deserve that title.



The Siberian Outreach Foundation was surprisingly quiet.

Outside snow fell heavy, wind whipped at the open corridors, and occasionally the lights would flicker daringly. On a bad day the most to happen would be an argument between recruits in the mess hall. On a good day it would be people gathered around the screen in the living quarters to watch the news. The daily life at the foundation was simple. You get up, you go to breakfast, do your chores (if you had any), go to lunch, more chores, relax, dinner, back to bed. It all depended on what section you were stationed in.

You were in section I-8 which was stationed to the infirmary for recovery.

Adapting to your new life wasn’t as hard as you’d originally thought. The only terrible aspect was being bound to the infirmary all day, at least only in the beginning. Alina had attempted to find you some fitting prosthetics so you could explore some more, but the only ones that would fit were mismatched… meaning you could only have one. Which you still accepted. Having one was better than none. You were able to counter it with crutches which felt familiar. It was far better than being stuck in a wheelchair. It took some time to get used to the prosthetic, however. Alina assigned you daily physical therapy, which you went to without question. You wanted to get moving as soon as possible, being stuck doing nothing all the way made you feel as useless as you did back home.

 

Thinking of home made your gut hurt. It made you think of mom and what happened.

 

You eventually would get confirmation that she’d disappeared the year after your trials began.

By this point you knew there was no point in even amusing yourself with the thought that she may still be alive. It’d been too long, she’d surely died of old age if not for heartache. That night you cried into the next morning. It was a new type of pain, none like you ever remembered having. It wasn’t like those self wallowing nights where you’d wish that the disease you had didn’t leave you useless. It wasn’t even like the first time you were injected with that substance that left you a changed person. It wasn’t anything like that.

You felt lost again. Hopeless.

You were alone in a world you didn’t know, smacked in the face with limitations and walls blocking your path. What were you to do? You couldn’t just… go back to living like you’d done before. Even if you did feel better now, even if you were somehow cured of the disease that had previously crippled you, how were you supposed to go back? This world wasn’t the one you were raised in. It was new and terrifying. The only person you knew was Alina and the two of you only had brief moments together now that you’d settled in.

That same lonely feeling you’d had long ago settled back in. You’d been here over two months and your day to day had become a routine. Wake, dress and go to the mess hall for breakfast, go to physical therapy, sit and watch the news for an hour to see the latest events despite not being able to understand the Russian broadcast, go to lunch, then sit around for a few more hours distracting yourself with something to do, dinner, then back to your room for bed.

It was hard communicating with people given that most spoke in different tongues. The ones who did speak English and would converse with you were always busy like Alina, rushing around the foundation to do their daily chores. Given you were still in recovery you didn't receive any of said chores, but you were beginning to wish you did. You felt as if you were back home again yet somehow, this time it was even worse. You didn’t get to see your mother’s face when she came home in the evening. You weren’t able to ride out with her to the ocean and watch the sunset, or go to the park and see the summer leaves.

You were alone. You were limited to only one leg.

The time you spent alone was mainly researching whatever you could find about Dr. Howser, using a tablet that Alina had given you to do so. You took notes, wrote down anything and everything you could find about him and yourself. The records of the Berlin Captives were limited. What was released to the public was still heavily censored, hiding the names of the victims there. You’d gone to Alina to see if she could access the records, but she said the chances were slim since his case was still technically open given he was a wanted fugitive.

You did more research on the AFA, often tracking down ARON who you would find wandering around base when he was off-duty. The robot, which you were told not to call an omnic, was quite helpful. He was able to search for answers far faster than you could. He’d fill you in on the details you missed while reading. Most of the information given was already stuff you’d been told by Alina. There wasn’t much information about AFAs being implanted into humans, especially given the last two cases were those who would already be dead. Most of the known information was from omnic use, finding they were common among military units who housed anti aircraft warfare. You didn’t like seeing yourself as them. You weren’t a weapon after all. Though it couldn’t help but make you wonder what you were capable of.

Alina had stated beforehand that humans normally can’t live in harmony with an AFA, that it would inevitably overcharge due because people can’t expel the energy at a sustainable rate. It made you curious about yourself. If what she said were true- then how were you still living? The information about the prior two AFA users was limited, but you did know they only lived a mere year with implants. You’d been alive… how many years? Albeit in cryostasis- but alive nonetheless.

Most of your questions led to dead ends with no answers. There was such limited information about your condition that finding anything new was thrilling. Alina was doing her best to help, asking colleagues in other regions if they knew anything- but most, if not all, never knew more than you did. A few did, however, reach out to you in return with fascination. You were slowly but surely becoming a case study. A living AFA survivor seemingly with no repercussions. Healthy and living. It was an anomaly and thought interesting, you’d made it clear you didn’t want your face to show on the news. You didn’t want people knowing of you. It was already odd getting attention from the doctors and nurses in the facility, but having ones from outside reaching to you left a bad taste in your mouth.

It didn’t feel right to be in the spotlight- you felt that you didn’t deserve it.



It was another slow day at the foundation.

You’d limped your way into the cafeteria for lunch, tablet tucked firmly into your armpit as you used one crutch to walk. After weeks of physical therapy and adjustments to your prosthetic, you were finally able to walk on it properly with only one crutch. Alina had stated they were trying to get you another, but apparently the funding process was difficult. The two of you had also talked about finding you permanent residency someplace else, but the Russian guard had apparently already taken your case. You weren’t sure what that meant still, but the look on Alina’s face didn’t comfort you- that’s for sure.

A sigh left you as you remembered the chat, remembering that Alina said finding a permanent home for you would be difficult. Apparently, deporting you back to the states was out of the question. They had to clear you for all lethal threats and that simply wasn’t going to be with the AFA in you… but they couldn’t simply just remove it.

You wish they could.

You didn’t want to live the remainder of your life trapped in a military base for god knows how long. At least you’d made a few friends. You claimed Alina to be your closest one given you spent a lot of time with her, even when she wasn’t working. The two of you would occasionally grab dinner together. She’d stated all volunteers and workers live on the base for a period of time before returning home for a few months. It made you wonder how long she had before she returned home- but you didn’t ask. You didn’t want to know when she’d be leaving, it’d only make you sad.

Aside from here there were a few other people in the infirmary you befriended. Two girls, sisters, named Stiva and Judice. They were kind and barely spoke a lick of English, but it was the attempt at communication that mattered. For the most part the three of you would play card games together to pass the time. Either of them were in the military recovering from injuries. They would often joke about how ironic it was for the two of them to be injured at the same time. Their banter was welcoming, comic relief for your day to day life on base.

The others who knew you were workers. It was hard communicating with them as well, but they were still friendly towards you. Most of the cafeteria people knew you and said hello each time you came to eat, allowing a moment of their time for a short chat about how their days had been. You’d become a regular which was new to them given the military squads changed weekly- which is the main reason you haven't made any soldier friends. They came and went like sweet cakes.

There was a war that needed fighting though, so you couldn’t blame them.

As you stepped into the cafeteria you glanced at the display screen on the wall playing the news. It was in Russian, but you could spot the latest footage from the war front in Paris. It made your inexistent heart drop into your gut. In the video feed you could spot omnics running alongside humans as they escaped the Talon forces invading Moscow. You stopped momentarily to watch, watching as the military struggled to fight back against the forces. Eventually you’d turn away to join the lunch line.

Your thoughts would continue thinking of the war, however.

The video feed replayed in your mind over and over.



As you walk through the corridors back to the infirmary, your attention is caught on one of the large windows. The snow had finally come to a stop, allowing the sun to brighten the otherwise dark base. You looked out with a small sigh, enjoying the view for the moment being. As you did you spotted movement down below at one of the aircraft hangers. An Orca was parked outside it, having just landed judging by the melted snow around it. Your eyes locked onto a woman standing outside of it, one hand on her hip and the other holding up a large gun of sorts. She seemed to be talking to some of the military men, the hand leaving her hip to wave around as she spoke.

Her hair was bright pink, which was the main reason your attention had become drawn to her.

“That’s Aleksandra Zaryanova.”

A familiar voice shocked you, causing you to gasp and clutch your crutch closer. Thankfully the person standing there, Alina, would relax you and cause you to sigh at her small chuckle. “Zarya’s the strongest woman in the world.” The doctor peered out the window beside you, smiling fondly at the woman. “She can lift 512 kg, it’s the world record.”

“Damn.” You looked too, brows rising in surprise as you looked over the woman. “Why’s she here?”

“She’s in it for the fight.” Alina stated firmly, “She fights for our country. For our home.”

“She’s fighting in the war?” Alina nodded and you looked back, eyes focusing in on the gun still standing next to the woman. “She must put up one hell of a fight…” The woman seemed so… confident. Even though you were merely looking at her through the window a story up, you could practically feel it. It was as if it was just overflowing for the woman. Strong, proud, confident in her abilities. You silently wished you had that confidence. That strength she held as she lifted the giant gun before walking off into the aircraft hanger.

As she disappeared from sight you looked to Alina who nodded her head for you to follow. You did without question and were surprised at her following words, “I have good news for you.”

“News?” A smile managed to make its way onto your features as you ask hopefully, “Is it about Dr. Howser?”

“Sadly no.” She glances at you with a smile, “It’s about your residency.”

“Oh?” Your brows raise in surprise for merely a moment before they lower as she peaks again.

“Since you seem to be in good health, you’ve been cleared for discharge. However, that’s not good news I’m excited for. The good news is that the doctor from Switzerland has offered to take your case.” Her smile grows a little, “Hooray!” Her small cheer sounds more melancholy than genuine. “You’re going to be transported this Friday.”

Your expression falls flat and you stop where you stood in the hall. “So, I’m leaving?”

Alina picks up on your sad tone and frowns, “Yes but it’s good! Her name is Dr. Ziegler. She has more information on your condition than I do as she’s experienced it first hand.” Her smile returns as she sounds hopeful. “Also, she’ll be able to dedicate the time and effort to you that I otherwise couldn’t.” There’s a pause as Alina puts her hand on your shoulder reassuringly. “We’ll still keep in touch, I promise. I’ll always be there for you when you need me, alright?”

You smile though it’s half-hearted, “Alright.” You trust Alina’s decisions, if she thinks this would be a better choice for your future then you’ll follow her lead. “I trust you.” As you begin to walk again you smile up at her, “If anything goes wrong you’ll be hearing from me though.”

She gives a laugh, “Is that so?”



Friday comes before you know it.

A part of you is sad you’re going to be leaving, but the other part is excited. You didn’t get the chance to look into this new doctor Alina spoke so fondly as the woman preoccupied you with various assignments to get you ready for the journey. There’s apparently lots of paperwork that has to be filled out for such a serious transfer. You sign anything offered, continuing your streak of over-thanking Alina as you explain your excitement to her. In return she seems just as excited for you, going the extra mile to find a suitcase for you to pack what clothes you had. The woman had taken great lengths to ensure your comfort, you wish there was a way to repay her for what she’d done.

On the day of your departure you went around thanking everyone for everything and saying your farewells. You’ll probably miss the sisters the most, thanking them for keeping you busy with the card games the three of you had played- they were the ones to teach you poker after all. The cooks were next and you gave a big hug to the one who always gave you extra jello.

The last person for you to say goodbye to was Alina as she walked you out to the aircraft hanger. The doctor was teary-eyed as the two of you hugged, muffling the sob she gave into your shoulder. You hate to see the woman so upset. The two of you had grown somewhat attached. “We’ll see each other again.” You state firmly as you break away. “When we do, I'll have both legs.” Your smile is wide as you look at her, watching as she wipes away her tears with a chuckle.

“I’ll keep your word to that then.” She sniffs, “Promise me you’ll message me once you’re there?”

“I promise!” You flash her another smile and give a thumbs up before beginning the walk to the waiting Orca with two soldiers and ARON escorting you. You were happy to see the robot was coming along, a familiar face was always a pleasure- even if robotic. The three of you boarded and you took the window seat to look out at the hanger. There were words exchanged between the boarded soldiers and a wave was thrown towards the front before the pilot closed the main door. As it slid shut, you turned to look out the window at the doctor who’d cared for you. Watching Alina from the window seat, you watched as the doctor waved goodbye all the way up until the Orca took off into the sky and she disappeared into the snowy view.

Your attention turned back ahead of you as you took a slow, shaky breath. Nerves were suddenly back. Of course you’d be nervous- everything in this new world happened so fast. It always took a moment to adjust to anything. However, unlike last time, this time you were prepared. You were ready for what was to come. No more surprises, no more shocks.

With the newfound strength in mind, you looked down to the tablet in your hand and settled in for the flight.



You were awoken by the sound of soldiers shouting in Russian.

At some point during the flight you’d fallen asleep. You sucked in a breath and looked around, rubbing your eyes to see the ship crew was starting to scramble. ARON, who’d been stationary next to you, was alert now as well. Your brows knitted together in confusion as the Orca’s sirens began to blare. “What’s happening?” You ask the robot next to you. His eyes come to life and he swivels to face you.

“We are currently passing through an unprecedented warzone.” He says coldy.

“What?” Your attention turns to the window where you see the sky's alight with bullet rain. Thunderous roars are heard as missiles explode in the sky. “How on earth do we accidentally pass through an unprecedented warzone?”

The question goes unanswered as the Orca suddenly tilts, causing luggage and crates to slide to one side. There’s an explosion on the left wing, causing the ship to rumble. The sirens are still blaring, louder this time and now the lights are beginning to space in and out from red to white. You don’t understand what’s happening aside from the attack, left feeling lost as the ship crew all speak in their native tongues. One seems to be ordering the bunch, however, and you notice that they are all geared up, ready for the attack.

Then the second hit causes the ship to tilt again this time forward causing you to fall from your seat. The ship rumbles and the sound of screaming, tearing metal is echoed throughout the chamber. As you scramble to get up, using the support railing to stand, you look to see many of the soldiers have also fallen over. Turbulence is beginning to pick up, alarms ringing in your ears as the Orca suddenly begins nose-diving downwards. Your mind is reeling again, breaths picking up as panic begins to fill you. The plane is going down with you in it and the soldiers inside seem just as unprepared.

Then the third hit comes with a thundering, roaring sound of an explosion as a rocket lands a direct hit on the centre of the Orca.

You're thrown to the metal panelling, shouting in pain as the explosion leaves your ears ringing. The impact of your head on the metal has your mind slowing, dizziness taking over for a brief moment as your eyes struggle to focus. You find yourself barely able to open them. Cold, frigid wind is now wrapping at your figure. As you open your eyes you find there’s a gaping hole in the side of the ship’s haul and many of the soldiers you’d just seen were now gone. Your hands are holding onto the metal railing for dear life as the ship is now plummeting to the ground. The other soldiers in the plane seem just as hopeless, all holding onto dear life as the crew falls out of the sky.

Your ears are still ringing, wind muffeling any sound that would’ve come through. The ship’s lights are somehow still on, flashing red over and over. Somewhere in the back of your mind you can register the sound of the alarm, blaring and screaming at you. Your hands are beginning to let go of the metal railing despite how hard you’re attempting to hold on, body being pressed to the wall by gravity.

You barely have time to register the forth missile hit as you’re knocked unconscious by the impact.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! <3

Chapter 3: The Anomaly

Notes:

It appears word of your case has spread.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The smell of coffee filled the small office. Dripping from the small machine that sat on a small corner table with only two mugs sitting next to it. A heavy sigh would leave the doctor’s lips as she heard the familiar beep of the machine, causing her to stand from her desk and step over to it. Her hands would find her favourite mug where she’d pour herself a cup, rubbing an eye with her free hand as the other would watch it fill. As she put the pot away a door would slide open behind her, catching her attention and causing her to pause her actions to look behind.

In the doorframe a familiar figure stood, causing her to sigh again, this time in relief. “Hello Genji.” She smiled softly, turning back to resume making her cup of coffee.

“Hello, Doctor.” The cyborg's voice was gentle as he stepped in, the door sliding shut behind him as his attention turned to the desk where papers had been strewn about. It was unusual to see paper documents, meaning whatever it was, was confidential. “Have you been working all night?” As he looked back to Angela he spotted the familiar crease of her forehead as she struggled to confess. She was always bad at lying. “You know, someone told me I needed to take proper care of myself and rest.”

“Well,” A little laugh left her as she finished and brought the cup to her mouth to blow cool air on the surface. “That someone told to take rest never did either.” Her eyes shift to him as she turns to face the other, leaning her back to the corner table. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost nine.” It was Genji’s turn to sigh now and cross his arms over his chest.

“And I’m assuming that you mean in the morning by that.” Angela watches the cyborg nod before she returns to her seat at the desk, “I’m glad you came to see me, though.” She pauses, noticing how Genji’s attention peeked when he tilted his head towards her. “A doctor in Russia has reached out to me. She’s from the SO: Foundation.” As she glances back she finds Genji has taken to leaning against the wall next to her desk, keen on listening. “I was asked to take a case.”

“Why so?” He’s curious and it shows in his voice, but more so as he reaches up to press a button to the side of his visor. It slides up, revealing his eyes to the doctor. She’s one of the few people he’s comfortable showing his face to and given she’s confiding in him so willingly, he should do the same.

“They’re an anomaly.” She states simply, “It’s been found they were a part of the Berlin Captives. I told you about the case before when I was asked to work on it.” She frowns a little at the memory. “According to the reports they’ve been in cryostasis for a number of years.” Finally she hands him a stack of papers with the transferred information. “However… that’s not the reason I was asked to take the case.”

Genji takes the papers when offered, brows rising in surprise as he looks over the x-ray. Angela speaks before he’s able to, “They’re in possession of an AFA.” There’s a pause as he’s given a moment to read through the translated paperwork.

“When was this request transferred?” He finally asks.

“Yesterday.” Angela sighs, “Around noon… and that’s not even all of it.” Her hand moves to gesture over the various piles of paperwork. “The doctor, Dr. Lengar, says due to the AFA requirements she was forced to send all documents via post. The request was actually sent out a week ago.” She sighs, “We only just now received. I’ve been at it all night. It’s not just the AFA that worries me… they were subjected to SLC.”

He places the documents back down to her desk. “So they’re-”

“Like them, yes.” She nods. “Genetically modified.” As she confirms it, Genji gives a quiet ‘hm’ as he thinks it over. The silence only passes for a moment before she continues speaking. “If I were to take their case, we would be taking full responsibility for the AFA. They wouldn’t be able to leave the base… but they’re not able to leave the foundation base as it is.” Angela pauses, looking back to the documents Genji had placed back down. “I’ve already gone over the chances of removing the AFA with Winston, however Dr. Lengar’s supporting evidence makes it clear to either of us that they will never be able to live without it. It’s replaced their heart and taken over major functions in the body.”

The doctor stops to take a deep breath, obviously conflicted and feeling frustrated. “Their case is… special. It wouldn’t be like taking on another agent, we’d be taking in a civilian- someone who’s untrained and will never see the field. But they’ll never be able to live a normal life either.” She frowns, “Like I said before, I’ve already discussed it with Winston. He knows far more about AFAs than I ever will. My duty is to ensure the health of the patient- but there may be a chance that Winston just could neutralise the device in a way that would make a more civilian life possible.” Her throat feels dry and she stops to take a sip from her mug.

As she sets it back to her desk she speaks again, “Winston made another point to me though. They’ve already been reported of having possession of the AFA, meaning there’s bound to be people who know about them. There’s a chance they may become a target and that chance would rise upon their arrival. Right now, they’re safe at the SO: Foundation.” She stops to press her glasses up, allowing them to rest on her head as she rubs her eyes. “But they’re limited and Dr. Lengar is worried for their health, both mental and physical. It’s far more than just the implant, they have been in cryostasis and are still adapting to the world and-”

“You’re asking for my opinion.” Genji asks, butting in to interrupt the doctor. However it comes out more as a statement than a question.

The doctor’s shoulders fall as she gives another chuckle, “You always read right through me.”

“As you to me.” He manages a smile to her, stepping closer to look down at the remaining documents littering her desk. “I believe you should do what you find to be best, doctor.” His hand comes down to Angela’s shoulder where he gives it a firm, reassuring squeeze. “You seem to have done well in the past when it comes to decision making.”

Genji’s words are genuine as he nods affirmingly, deciding it best to now leave the doctor to make her final decision. She thanks him as he steps out, nodding to her once again as the door opens and slides shut behind him. There he stops to think about the documents he’d looked over. He knew Mercy asked him for his opinion due to their similar conditions. This person most likely joining them, would undoubtedly be one of the same.

He wonders what type of person they will be.



“Thank you all for joining us today.”

As everyone gathers in the conference room Winston stands at the head of the table waiting. He watches the agents file in together, some in pairs, some alone. The room is filled with the quiet humming of voices blending together as the team gathers. The familiar faces make the ape smile as he adjusts the stack of documents in hand, the screen behind him coming to life as Athena takes count of all present agents. As the count is sealed the doors to the room slid shut and the lights dim, leaving the screen behind him to light up on the wall.

“I’m assuming this is everyone?” He asks, adjusting his glasses as he looks around to see a few affirming nods. “Alrighty then. Just for the record, anyone not present during the meeting will be filled in at a later date.” He picks up the tablet lying on the table to see the agents not counted for and nods. “It seems we are only missing two? Agents Zarya and Soldier: 76.” He sighs upon seeing the latter, brow twitching with annoyance at the fact that one of the major agents is missing. “No matter, we will continue the meeting… anyway…” A groan presses through his words as he pulls the paper up to his face.

The briefing goes over smoothly aside from the few interruptions given by the younger agents. It only takes a look from Winston for Hana and Lucio to calm back into their seats, looking embarrassed after being silently called out. He continues down the list of new orders, muttering off the more boring things such as base rules that seem to be more useless than necessary. For example, don’t run in the cafeteria; you may knock someone’s tray out of their hands. Silly rules that made Tracer burst out into a fit of laughter as the ape read it off.

Towards the end of the meeting more serious information was finally being given.

“Referring to the most recent attack on Moscow that occurred on November 21st, to aid in the fight agents Ana, Cassidy, and Brigitte will be stationed at the Moscow headquarters as the majority of the fight has already cleared. Zarya will be joining you shortly once she returns from her break.” He looks up from his papers to see Briggitte flashing Cole an excited smile, the two confirming with one another a nod. “Good, flight team A will be taking off Thursday and be ready by oh nine hundred to board. Now then, the following agents prepare to leave Friday at noon for Paris.”

Winston rambled off the list of agents, watching with a grin as Tracer perked up once her name was called. “The remainder of you will remain on base until further orders are given. If you have any questions please report to either myself or Dr. Ziegler for any questions.” He straightened up now that the briefing was done and smiled, letting out a much needed breath to relax. “Now, Dr. Ziegler has an announcement she would like to-”

“Yer tellin’ me I’ve gotta sit around’ere all day doin’ jack squat!?” A loud, familiar voice shrieks from the back. A collective groan is heard around the room as Junkrat pipes up in his chair. Next to him Hog is standing, arms crossed in his usual dead silence and as Junkrat speaks up his head lifts a smidge to show he’s taken interest as well.

Winston, looking uncomfortable and unsure how to handle the situation, stumbled over his words as he spoke. “Well, through some thought we found the best suit for this mission would be rescue team Alpha given many civilians would be in harm's way.” He clears his throat awkwardly, “Your record with such tasks is… abysmal.”

The junker gives an exaggerated gasp as he slaps his hand on the table causing Hana, who’d been sitting next to him, to shoot a glare at the man. “Abys-what!? Don’t go throwin’ yer fancy words at me ye’ hairy ape! I’ve got plenty of civilian-savin’ in me!”

Around the room the other agents are shaking their heads. Lucio is trying to hold back a laugh as Hana drops her head into her hands, hiding her face as the junker shouts his proclaims. Winston gives a heavy sigh and hangs his own head as well, bringing a hand up to rub the creases in his forehead. “Jamison- er, Junkrat… we’ve already decided on this mission clearance. Besides, the view of you by the public is still grim in itself.” He swallows, “The same goes for Mr. Rutledge.”

At his own mention, Hog gives a throaty grunt before turning to leave. It’s an obvious sign that he believes there’s no use in him standing in for the meeting any longer. The door slides open for him, but he still has to duck down to avoid hitting his head as he leaves. Junkrat watches with his brows raised and shouts an indigent, “Oi!” Before following after. No one makes an attempt to stop them, knowing well it wouldn’t be of any good- less they stand in Roadhog’s path.

Now that the two are gone, the room relaxes and a few chuckles are heard around the table. Cassidy has gone to nudge Genji in the arm, grinning like he’d just won some sort of bet. Genji, on the other hand, has his arms crossed and shakes his head at the cowboy’s antics. Across the table Lucio was no longer able to hold in his laughter, clutching his stomach right as Hana smacked him on the back which caused the man to jerk up in shock.

Winston sighs again, now annoyed with the team that’s supposed to be more mature than the firecracker that’d left. “Now, where was I?” He glanced down to the paperwork in hand before it hit him and he stepped back. “Right right, Dr. Ziegler would like to speak on something.”

“Thank you, Winston.” Angela stepped forward as the ape backed away, letting her take the head of the table. She cleared her throat, “By now word has spread of the rescue efforts occurring in the northern province of the Komi Republic in Russia.” Her eyes glance up to see those have fallen silent again, resting faces returning as the group listens in once again now that the interruption has gone. She swallows as her eyes return down to the paper she’d been holding to read from her notes. “On the ninth of September, 2076, rescue bot ARON-14 came across an intact cryostasis chamber.” As she began to read the details of the survivor report she began to feel her hands growing clammy, oddly nervous explaining the situation on hand.

“And because of this it has become my executive decision, one backed by Ana and Winston, that we will be taking in the patient. This situation will be handled differently than a normal medical one as the presence of the AFA could be a serious lethal threat to the base at large. This patient will be working closely with the likes of the medical staff as well as the research one, me and Winston being the prime candidates.” She looked up to the group to see they were still listening, only a few looking concerned- one of them being Tracer.

“Wait so,” Lena spoke up first. “Are they going to be a new agent?”

Angela took in a breath and waited a second before exhaling. “Nothing will be confirmed until their arrival.” There were a few murmurs around the table at the information, those looking concerned now confused. She cleared her throat, “Upon their arrival and initial examination there will be a mandatory debriefing with more information on the AFA and the threat level proposed by it. If there are any immediate questions please ask now, if not this meeting can be adjourned and you may take your leave.”

A few still seemed concerned, but most left once the meeting was called. Angela relaxed as people began filing out, the nerves in her stomach beginning to melt away. She turned to put the documents back into the folder, only stopping when Mei approached her. “You seem nervous.” The researcher said with a smile, causing the doctor to sigh. “I figured I’d be the one to ask why? You’ve taken on so many cases before, just look at Genji. It’s odd to see you suddenly growing nervous over another.” Mei’s smile comforted Angela as she finished putting away the documents.

“There’s not much known about their condition.” Angela frowned, turning to leave the conference room with Mei at her side. “Even Winston was amazed to find they’d somehow been living with an AFA. The doctor in Russia, Dr. Lengar, she’s stated the only reason she hadn’t contacted me sooner was because she wanted to ensure the patient would survive without cryostasis.” Mei’s brows raised at that and so Angela began telling her the smaller details.

Mei would listen and nod along. Her information in the medical field was little- however she had first hand experience with cryo-chambers of course. “Do you believe that they will overcharge?” She asked first, looking up to the doctor to see worry creasing her brows.

“I’m unsure. Like I said, there’s little information. Dr. Lengar has been severely handicapped when it comes to testing, they’re afraid to exert the patient in fear that it may occur due to stress or other factors.” Her frown stuck as they entered her office where more papers were scattered across the desk. “On the other hand there’s the case of them being genetically modified- who knows what they’re capable of?”

As the doctor slumped into her chair, Mei put both hands on her hips and gave an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry so much! You never know. I feel you’re looking too far into the negatives of things, Mercy.” Mei watched as the doctor flashed her a smile in return. “We’re Overwatch, remember? We can handle anything. Besides, they may come to be a wonderful person, who knows?”

“You’re right.” Angela breathed with a little laugh that followed. “I’m just worried. There’s just… no telling what could happen. I’m practically bringing a live bomb onto base, one with no timer that could click at any given moment.”

Mei frowned at the thought, “See? Don’t think of it that way!” Her hand came up to rub the doctor’s back encouragingly. “Think of this as an opportunity! You said before you and Winston are trying to find a way to neutralise the device, right? There’s always a chance you can. Think about it! You could give this person a shot at a normal life.”

Angela listened to Mei’s encouraging words with a smile, finding a new glimmer of hope beginning to flourish in her chest. “You’re right, Mei. We’ll give it a shot! I’m not going to fail someone now just because of my doubts.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Notes:

A shorter chapter, but hopefully still a good one nonetheless!

We're finally beginning to see some familiar faces!

Thank you once again for reading! <3

Chapter 4: The Crash Site

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Cold.”

It’s the first thought to come to mind as you begin to stir. There’s a weight atop you, but it feels distant as you struggle to move. Your fingers are the first to register feeling, wiggling beneath whatever mass is currently resting on you. The next thing to regain feeling are your lungs as you inhale, suddenly desperate for the cold air around you. It fills your lungs, causing a sharp pain in your chest that causes your brows to crease together. There’s a stinging sensation continuously vibrating through your body. The left side of your face is beginning to regain feeling as well however you can feel how numb it is.

It’s cold. You’re freezing and as a wet droplet hits your cheek, you realise you’re lying in snow.

Your eyes flutter open as you take in another deep, painful breath. The snow on your lashes is dusted away as you blink repeatedly. It’s falling thick from cloudy skies, caking the surrounding forest in it’s white mass. You go to move your arm, finding it seemingly fine as you struggle to lift it from the snow piled atop of you. A groan leaves your throat as you struggle, beginning to wiggle it around in an attempt to loosen the pile. Finally you feel it give and lift your arm, using your now free hand to dig at the snow on you. You find your chest seems to be free of snow, melted by the heat resonating from your chest. However it’s left your coat soaked with water, causing your shivers to double as you slowly free yourself.

When you finally manage to sit up, you find you’re laying in the middle of a dense pine forest. Your eyes adjust to the area, finding the lighting dim as whatever sun is left is covered by heavy storm clouds. The clothes you have are still intact, but there are noticeable holes in parts of the arms and chest. The skin beneath is fine, however it takes you a second to realise each exposed area is replaced with a new scar. You bring your hand to feel over a certain spot on your forearm only to find your right glove is gone, the edges of the fabric melted with the edges now stained with blood. Your hand is scarred heavily, the skin tone twice as light as your thumb, index, and middle finger are all seriously affected by whatever burn was inflicted on you. Whatever was there before is now gone, leaving you healed.

Now that your mind is beginning to catch up, you whip your head around to look for the Orca.

The trees surrounding you seem entirely unaffected. Dense, thick, quiet forest caked in layers of snow. Said snow makes it hard to see far out, coating the area in a white mist as you squint to see beyond. You barely register that you’ve been shivering, teeth clattering as you begin to lift yourself to your feet. Speaking of which, your prosthetic is still attached. It makes you give a little laugh, relief washing over you in an instant. A few bits on it seem to be melted and a part of the metal plating is beginning to peel off, but it’s intact. You’ve got some mobility; that’s all you care about.

However your crutches are nowhere to be seen so you have to brace yourself against a tree for enough support to stand. You’re not able to look at where you previously lied in the snow. Your figure has made an indent, but more importantly, you’re able to see a pool of blood frozen beneath in the snow. It causes you to touch various parts of yourself, finding the spots of your clothing that had been either torn or melted and had blood soaked into the fabric. How badly had you been injured? You weren’t able to tell, only guess as you feel over the holes. Now that you’re standing a breeze causes a shiver to roll down your spine and you frantically reach back to find your right upper back, along with a portion of your shoulder, is entirely exposed to the elements. There’s a gaping hole in your thick sweater. You cock your head to look, a little gasp leaving you at the new scarring there as well. It’s heavier than your hands and looks almost gruesome.

Your mind begins to make up a reason, but you stop yourself.

You’d just survived a plane crash. Scarred and a little sore, but you’ve survived.

The thought makes you give a stark laugh, a bundle of emotions beginning to form in your chest. How were you supposed to handle this situation? Sure, you’d survived and the chances of a rescue team coming to get you were high- but you were in the middle of nowhere. During winter of all times, freezing to death with no sign of the wreckage in view. How far away had you fallen? You must’ve been low enough to the ground where the impact hadn’t been hard enough to kill you… but the new scars on your body were confusing.

”Your cells regenerate at an alarming rate.”

Alina’s voice rang out in your ears as you glanced down to your arm again, looking to the mesh of scarring on your wrist. Right, she'd mentioned it before. The thought brought forth a new question, however.

Just how long had you been unconscious?

Even if your body was capable of healing quickly it still needed time. On top of that, you had at least four inches of snow on you. As your mind swirled you looked to the sky again to see that whatever light was left was beginning to fade away. It had to be late evening by now… it would get colder as night fell. The thought urged you to look around again, trying to find anything that may give a clue as to where the wreckage was. You just had to get to it, surely a rescue team would spot you?

Propping yourself up on the tree again you looked around, squinting in an attempt to look past the snow. In the distance, though far, you could make out a tiny blue light. It caused your chest to lurch forward, adrenaline beginning to kick in as you now had to think of a way to get there. Walking was going to be difficult with a half busted prosthetic and only one of them at that. Thankfully your eye caught a few fallen branches a bit away towards the light. You swallowed, looking down at yourself before deciding to take your chances.

Sliding down against the tree you sat on the snowy forest floor and brought your hands down to your prosthetic. For a moment you struggled with the attachment, trying to remember how Alina taught you to take it off. You hadn’t ever really needed to aside from check-ups. Finally you heard it click and smiled, lifting it off of the panel that closed automatically. After a moment’s thought you took the prosthetic and tucked it into your jacket, zipping it closed to keep it there for you wouldn’t be able to hold it for your next step.

The next step was beginning to crawl.

The branches weren’t too far away, but hopping towards them on one leg would be more difficult than crawling. So you crawled, gritting your teeth together as the snow bit at your fingers. Your breaths caused puffs of steam to appear in front of your face, body shivering in an attempt to warm itself as you crawled like a madman towards the branches. Despite how much effort it took- you didn’t feel tired. In fact you felt full of energy. It would encourage you to keep moving, using your elbows to dig into the snow and pull yourself forward through it.

When you would finally reach the branches you propped yourself up against the fallen tree, taking deep breaths as you took a moment to warm up again. Your hands were shaking, growing numb from the snow nipping at them. As you brought them to your mouth to blow on them, you hesitated. No, there was something that could warm them faster. You unzipped your jacket, taking out your prosthetic to set it aside to allow you access to your chest. When you placed your hands to the AFA a sigh of relief came from the heat it expelled. It was possibly the only thing keeping your body warm enough to move and was doing an excellent job to heat your fingers.

The thought brought a smile to your face. Maybe having the implant wasn’t so bad at all. It came in handy when needed, didn’t it? It was keeping you alive. It was part of you. Maybe you shouldn’t think of it so poorly. Without it you’d be no better than the rest of those people back in the laboratory, left for dead like sardines in tins. You weren’t going to be like them. You weren’t going to succumb to a bit of cold- not after you just survived a goddamn plane crash.

With determination spurring you onwards you clicked your prosthetic back into place and lifted yourself to lean against the fallen tree. You tested a few of the branches out, putting your weight to them to see how heavy each one was before finding one that seemed sturdy enough to support your weight. It took a moment of shaking, twisting, and snapping before the dead branch finally popped off. You tested it first, putting the blunt end to the forest floor before cautiously putting your weight to it.

When it held your weight, your smile grew and you gave a triumphant laugh as you began hobbling forward. The snow was far harder to traverse through, but you took things slow. You could still see the light through the blizzard, shining in the distance and flickering occasionally. Whenever it’d disappear for a moment you’d feel your gut twist, fear running through your veins before your eyes would catch it again through the mist. You weren’t giving up.

You couldn’t. You’d promised Alina you’d message her once you arrived.

Does she know of the plane crash already? Was she worried?

These thoughts would spur you onwards, breathing catching in your throat as you pushed past the cold numbing the exposed parts of flesh. Your back was freezing, causing shivers to course through your body as you limped onwards. ”I can’t give up.” Your teeth gritted together as you suddenly fell, prosthetic foot catching on a tree’s root. As you face-planted into the snow, you felt your gut twist uncomfortably as tears suddenly nipped the corners of your frozen face. You held them back, using the branch you’d turned into a makeshift crutch to push yourself back onto the one foot you had. ”Not today. Not after everything.” Your thoughts were in the distance as you continued onwards, jaw clenched painfully as you focused only on moving.

Eventually the light in the distance would finally be made into a figure as you’d come across the plane wreckage. The Orca was already covered in snow, the fire that once engulfed it long gone. In its wake large stains on the metal panelling, black soot of destruction that made your gut clench once again. The trees it’d fallen into were broken, splintering off with branches strewn about. The cargo from the ship had been scattered as well, heavy metal crates spaced around the otherwise empty forest. Your eye caught something hanging in the tree and your throat closed up as the urge to sob came forth.

A body hung from parachute strings, mangled by tree limbs and whatever else. Shrapnel was lodged into the flesh, blood still dripping down the person’s legs onto the white snow below. The person had been decapitated, the flesh around the remaining neck charred black and cut clean. The view made your world spin, vomit threatening to come forth as your body hurled. You’d tear your eyes away only to see more similar burns on the side of the Orca, melting the metal panelling abnormally. It wasn’t from a regular fire or an explosion.

It finally hit you once you spotted another body lying among the wreckage. At first glance they seemed to be fine, but blood pooling around them would make you think otherwise. And as your eyes would wander you’d come to see a large, gaping hole in the centre of their stomach. A clean cut straight through, leaving similar burned flesh behind and allowing blood to flow out like a river.

The sight was becoming too much for you to bear, breaths beginning to grow rapidly as you looked back to the light you’d followed to get here. There you’d finally see ARON trapped under a crate from the ship’s cargo. The poor robot was crushed partially, the blue light coming from its chest. You quickly limped over to him, putting your hands to the crate and forcing your weight into it so it would fall over. As you did, the cracked screen of the robot would flicker to life at the movement. “ARON?” You asked, hands shaking as you looked over the device’s body. It was heavily damaged, his wheels were even crushed inwards leaving him unable to move. “Buddy…” Your throat felt tight again as you looked around to the other bodies then back to the robot. “C’mon answer me, you’ve gotta be in there.”

“Hello, D6.” The robot had previously given you the nickname after you’d joke about it being on the capsule he’d found you in, saying that six was normally an unlucky number. “I have taken substantial damage.” His robot voice was glitching as he spoke, barely even audible due to the speaker box being crushed. “Attempts at sending a distress signal have failed.”

The news made a sob finally come forth, breaking through and causing you to lean against the robot as tears slipped down your cheeks. “Don’t tell me that.” You choked out the words, “They know we’re here though, right? They have to have seen we crashed- how long has it been?”

The thinking circle appeared on the fractured screen of his face and spun slowly as he struggled to count the hours that’d passed. “It has been one day, fourteen hours, thirty-two minutes and ten seconds.”

It’d already been almost two days? “What’s taking them so long? Where are we?” You cocked your head up to look around again. “Are we even out of Russia?”

“Negative. The last tower I was able to ping was in the outskirts of the Bryansk Oblast territory, 446 km from Kyiv, Ukraine.” The robot’s voice flickers as he struggles to recall from his memory.

“We’re not even out of the country…” You mumble to yourself before wiping your eyes. “Why can’t you send the distress signal?”

“I have retained server damage. I am unable to send out a distress signal for unknown reasons. I am left to believe that I am out of range of any nearby towers.” His eyes flicker again, struggling to look at you. The laser grid appears again and he struggles to scan your figure before thinking again. “You have seem to received substantial injuries as well, I would advise you to res-”

“Stop it.” You snap at the robot, throat closing with nerves as you stare back at its broken faceplate. “We’re going to die out here if we don’t do something.”

The silence is loud and you watch as the thinking wheel appears numerous times on ARON’s faceplate, obviously ‘thinking’ hard over something. Eventually the robot says, “You have taken me into consideration when it comes to my physical state.”

“Of course I have.” Your jaw clenches as you sniffle. “If you leave me I’ll have no one again.”

“Affirmative.” The robot says in return before falling quiet again.

You shake your head, wiping away more tears before beginning to look around again. The wreckage is ever looming, making your gut wrench again as your eyes graze over the deceased. “Did anyone else survive?”

“Negative. After the initial impact the group of remaining soldiers encountered forces from Null Sector proximity six hours after landing. Three null troopers arrived to the site and first encountered-”

Your mind snaps back to the familiar blast holes you’d seen in the side of the Orca as well as the one man’s gut. ARON goes to say more but you stop him, shaking your head as a sob catches in your throat. “Don’t.” You cry, hands going to your face to rub away tears once again. “Don’t tell me anymore.” And so the robot falls silent, leaving you to slump down against the crate with another silent sob. You don’t want to think or hear about what happened to them- there was nothing you could’ve done to prevent it.

After a long bout of silence, ARON finally speaks up again. “I apologise for upsetting you.”

You sniff, looking down to the snow where you shake your head before forcing yourself to your feet again. “No, don’t apologise. You’re just doing as you’re programmed to, ARON.” A sigh leaves you as you look at the crushed robot, frowning at his current state. Alina had told you before ARON was different from the omnics you’d been told of. His free-will was limited. While able to think for himself, he was still bound to use facts over feelings.

Your brows knit together as you stare back, looking over the broken bits of his frame once again. “What should I do?” As you speak your hands come out to begin tugging on him in an attempt to free him of the wreckage. “Let’s get you out of this, do your wheels still work? Is there a way for me to get a signal out? How long do I have until night?” You ask the questions rapidly as you continue to tug, feeling the metal panels on his side beginning to give as they’re pulled off.

“I would suppose the best course of action is to stay at the impact site until help arrives. Normally a rescue team takes up to three days to locate stranded survivors.” The robot’s voice breaks up more as you tug on what remains intact of him. “If one were to relocate me, possibly to a place of higher altitude or to the closest satellite tower, the chances of a distress signal reaching would be possible. Given our current timezone, I say you have proximity four hours until nightfall.”

“Okay, okay I can work with that.” You swallow, gritting your teeth together as you attempt to tug on his body again. “I just have to free you from this crate, then we can figure something out!”

“Negative. It appears that my frame has mended to that of the crate during initial impact.” ARON states, causing you to stop your actions in fear of damaging him further.

Your frown deepened, “I can’t stay here. I’ll freeze to death before they find me. And even if I were to make a makeshift shelter you said earlier that Null Sector had located the crash already, what if they were to come back?” Your brows knit together as you think, shifting around the crate carefully to investigate his broken figure more. “You’re sure there’s no way to free you?”

ARON is quiet as he thinks, the wheel spinning for an abnormally long period of time. “There is one option.” His flickering eyes look to you again, “You could pry my core cortex from my mainframe. I would have to go into crisis mode, but I would still be functional.”

“Your core?” You move back to the front of him to look over the robot’s faceplate.

“Precisely.” His eyes flicker up and down your face. “To you it would be what you presume to be my head. You will need to sever the cords connecting my cortex from my mobility unit.”

“Sever the cords..?” Your voice leaves in a mumble as you look around again, thinking on what you could use to do such a task. In a second your brain gives an answer, but it’s one that makes your gut wrench again.

You leave the robot’s side, hobbling through the snow with your makeshift crutch in hand to the soldier that lay dead on the ground, covered in snow and blood with a hole through their gut. It makes whatever was left in your stomach gurgle, threatening to spill as you examine the corpse. “I’m so sorry…” By pushing through the feeling you’re able to uncover the deceased’s body, trying your hardest not to look at their face as you pat down their sides. Blood rises from the fabric and stains your scarred hand, making you cringe right as your fingertips finally graze over a holder on the soldier’s thigh. You unclip the clasp, pulling the sheath free and allowing your hand to clutch around the tactical knife that’d still been strapped to the person’s thigh.

As you stand back reality hits you again as you view the dead body. You’d never seen one like this before. Sure, you’d been to your grandmother’s funeral as a kid and had to see her lying dead in her casket- but this was nothing like that. She looked at peace. This person, despite not being able to see their face, wasn’t. They were shot dead in a gruesome way. If you had a heart it would be beating rapidly, but instead your body makes up for the feeling with heavy breaths that make the back of your head feel fuzzy again. Your world begins to spin as the reality of your situation falls onto your shoulders, jaw feeling tight as you’d been clenching it throughout your endeavour. A headache is beginning to form at the back of your skull and you swallow down the lump in your throat, shaking your head as your wrist comes up to wipe your damp face. You look up to the cloudy sky above, taking the moment to calm as snow hits your warm cheeks. It’s comforting despite how it makes shivers roll down your spin.

You’re alive. You’re alive and while you can sit and mourn these people all day, let the guilt eat you alive as you think of what their families are bound to go through- that’s not going to help anyone. Not yourself, not the families back home, not Alina who was possibly worried for you, and not ARON either who was still attempting to help despite the situation. You’re no soldier, but you still have a will to live.

As you step away from the body you look to the remainder of the ship, seeing the vessel has been ripped in two due to the impact. You glance back to ARON before heading towards it after strapping the bowie knife to your thigh.

The ship creaks with metal threatening to rip from the rafters, bending daringly as you look into the back part of the Orca that’s buried itself into the earth. Trees are warped around it, cracked and splitting as the ship continues to weigh on them. From what you can see the majority of the cargo has spilled out, leaving only things that had been secured to the walls left behind. Your eyes scan the inside you have to squint due to the darkness, swallowing down nervously as you carefully climb into the remainder of the shell. Exposed wires are flickering with electricity as you step past, hobbling along with your hand braced to the metal frame.

Your eyes fall to the seat you’d previously been in to find the seatbelt that had been secured to your chest was ripped away, leaving behind a torn metal frame. As you step past it your fingers brush over the chair, brows knitting together as you look up above to see if your carry-on was still overhead. A stroke of luck as you find your backpack and crutches were still strapped overhead on the shelf, making you thank your past self for remembering to strap the items down. At the sight of the items you give a quiet laugh out of a lack of better response, not knowing how to feel with the wave of relief in your gut.

Carefully you put your one foot onto the chair, using the edge of the metal shelf to haul yourself up so that you could unbuckle the items from the shelf. As your fingers unhook the last buckle you hear a creak as the shelf gives from the weight, causing you to stagger before falling back. Your back hits the floor and a yelp leaves you, face contorting from the pain of falling. Right as you open your eyes the shelf above gives as the screws come loose and your stuff begins to topple down. Thankfully your reaction time is faster as you roll over onto your side, bringing your arms up to your head to protect it as your backpack, crutches, and a few other items spill out onto the floor.

Once the sound stops you lift yourself and look around to your things, first reaching for your backpack. You bring it close and press your face into it, taking a moment to bask in the relief it brings you. Inside you find your spare sweater and take the moment to sit up properly, peeling off your coat before hesitating to do the same with your shirt. More layers would probably be better, even if two of said layers had holes. You strip anyway, not caring who or what was possibly watching you as you strip down to only your bra. You pull on the new sweater and it’s followed by the tattered one, then finally your heavy coat. Now in three layers you let out a sigh, rubbing your arms with either hand as warmth finally begins to reach you. The next item pulled from your backpack would be an extra pair of mittens. Sadly you’re unable to locate your spare gloves, which makes you assume you’d left them either back at the foundation or put away in your luggage. A sigh leaves you as you look over your right hand, thumb, index and middle finger all still exposed to the elements. Oh well. The last thing you did was a pair of gray sweatpants from the bottom of your backpack. They were meant to be pyjamas once you arrived on base, given Alina told you that your main luggage would take a day to unload. God knows where that box is in the mess of things.

You struggle to pull the sweatpants over your jeans, mainly due to the fact your prosthetic keeps catching on the fabric. Eventually you’re able to get them on, having to hop up a few times to get the fabric over your ass before you’re finally in them. You stop to cuff the bottom of your left leg that still lacks a prosthetic, having to pull it over your knee where you expertly take a rubberband from your backpack to cuff the end. The sight makes you smile despite the grim reminder of your condition. You wouldn’t let it be holding you back now.

You pull the straps of your backpack over your shoulders, clicking the buckle in the front of your chest before you stretch out to grab your crutches. A smile finds your lips as you haul yourself up, completely disregarding the branch you’d been using prior in favour of your familiar crutches. Now having two, you’re able to pull yourself up to your foot easily. You stand, stopping to take another deep breath before you look around again and try to think of anything else that could be of use.

Of course food would probably be the most useful… but you don’t even know where to start looking for it.

So you instead hobble out of the exposed plane, much happier now that you have both crutches. It’s easier to navigate through the snow as you make your way back to ARON. The robot takes notice of your appearance instantly, “I see you have located your items.” He states simply before you nod in return. “Excellent. To sever the cords and remove my core you first need to pry open the uppermost panel of my rear panel.”

Carefully, you follow ARON’s instructions. Your new knife comes in handy as you use it to pop open the jammed panel to reveal the bundle of cords and chip slots on the robot’s back. As ARON begins to explain what to do your hands begin to shake nervously. “What if I mess up?” You interrupt him, swallowing down a lump in your throat.

“Well.” ARON seems to somehow hesitate at your question. “If an error were to occur… Your best choice of action would be to take my main drive as it can still function as a distress signal alone. However my main drive would be nonfunctional.”

You frown at the thought and shake your head. You can’t mess up. “Alright… tell me what to do again.” You listen again, this time more intent as you bring the knife up to cut the wires ARON tells you to. You severe three before the robot glitches and falls silent, making your heart race before he suddenly buzzes back to life. “ARON?” Your voice sounds weak as you turn your head to the robot’s faceplate to see if he’s still there.

“No worries, I am fine.” His eyes seem dimmer than before, “We have severed my main power supply. I will be running on my emergency power unit until help arrives.”

A wave of relief washes over you and you nod, “Okay… just don’t leave me.” You find yourself managing a laugh at the thought- you’d never think you’d be so desperate to have a robot to talk to. “What next?”

As you cut more wires you’re eventually able to lift the robot’s head from his body. It’s odd to see, especially given wires are still hanging from the bottom parts of his core. “Why would they build your head to be a core?” You ask timidly as you put your knife away. Thankfully his head is light… but it’s too big for you to hold while walking.

“My core design was intentional as it would allow easy removal for various positions. My body seen here is my mobility unit. Many other versions are used as cores in Orcas as well as building units.”

“Oh, interesting…” An idea hits you and you carefully reach behind you with ARON still in your hands. You find the hood of your coat and drop him into it, pulling it up to carry him. “I’m sorry you probably can’t see.” You say, looking over your shoulder in an attempt to see the robot. From the angle you’re able to see his faceplate is facing the back of your head.

“Do not worry, sight is not necessary for my primary functions.”

You laugh quietly, grabbing your crutches to push yourself off the crate you’d been leaned against. “Yes but surely it’s boring looking at the back of my head.”

“It is not.” His voice seems genuine.

The robot’s words make you snort, but it’s a short joy as you look around the crash site again. Right. “Which direction should we go?”

“The best option would be to head south-west as the possibility of coming across civilians would be high.”

“Okay, which way is that then?”



Night is beginning to fall before you even know it.

ARON’s faceplate emits a white light that you angle over your shoulder to see ahead of you, but the night is already beginning to settle in quickly. The temperature in the vast forest is beginning to fall as well, leaving your double-layered hands feeling numb once again. You begin to regret your decision for not scavenging for more supplies. It’s only going to get colder and darker with each passing second. You should’ve listened to ARON and stayed at the wreckage, waited until morning before hiking out. Guilt is beginning to twist in your gut at the thought, hand coming up to wipe the frost off your lashes once more.

For the time you’d been walking, you were keeping yourself distracted by chatting with ARON. Due to his limited power he was only able to speak of things documented in his primary memory bank. “What were you originally built for then?” You asked once, causing the robot to list off the location and time he was assembled before explaining he was built as a rescue drone before receiving a mobility unit. “That’d be cool.” You said, causing the robot to give a buzzing sound in confusion. “To fly? You said you were a drone before, right?”

“Correct. I was capable of jet propulsion.”

“Yeah, that’d be cool.” You snorted at the thought, “Maybe I could get prosthetics with similar abilities?”

“Highly unlikely. Such prosthetics are only given to those holding military authority.”

“Ah, damn.” You shook your head, “You just have to crush my dreams don’t you?”

“My apologies.” The robot beeps again, “I will take your emotional well-being into consideration next time I evaluate an answer.”

“It’s okay, ARON.” You frown at his words, wondering the point of ARON being so blunt. There were other omnics fully capable of human emotions, so what was the reason in making one that was supposed to help people not access emotions? Would that not make his chances of success higher given he would be able to calm fearful survivors more easily? You’d ponder the thought, falling silent as you thought back to how Alina had explained that “the motherland” didn’t take kindly to omnics due to the war. A part of you understood her reasoning- but you’d seen on the television that there were plenty of omnics who were seemingly good. They stood side by side with humans in the protests you’d seen on the news. It just didn’t make any sense.

“Your body temperature is falling drastically.” The robot states behind your ear.

His voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you snort again, “Tell me about it…” As if on cue you shiver, hands clutching the crutches closer as you continue to march through the ever-growing snow. “At least I don’t have feet to feel it.” The words come out in a bittersweet laugh as you shake your head, glancing down at your one foot. It has a boot over it despite the need not to. You always covered the prosthetic with your pants and shoes; it made you feel better about it.

“That is true.” ARON confirms.

You open your mouth to ask what temperature it is, but decide against it in a second. It would be better not to know as knowing would only somehow make you freeze faster. Besides, the device in your chest is doing god’s work at keeping you warm. For once you’re happy with the heat it provides. If only your hands could get some of that heat.

“My sensors are picking up a signal.” ARON’s voice says again as you hear a little beep, causing a smile to grow on your face. “We are on a direct path to the source, please continue ahead.”

Your throat feels tight as you manage to double your walking speed, limping through the forest on the promise of some sort of tower being nearby. If there was a tower then there were possible people. Your smile stuck to your features as you swallowed down a dry throat, suddenly becoming aware of how thirsty you were. Your stomach had been growling for the past hour as well, but you had been pushing past the thought in an attempt to distract yourself. “How far away is it?” You ask, squinting to see if you could see anything up ahead. “Can you send a signal from it?”

“The location of the signal continues to move, making it difficult to track, however I can confirm it is currently 3.2 kilometeres away. The signal is currently too weak for me to ping.”

“So not far.” You nod, keeping your head up as the wind blows against your figure. The snow has gained another inch since you began your journey. As you glance behind you, you’re able to still make out the tracks of your crutches and foot in the snow. You look ahead again to see a light in the distance above the trees, causing you to stumble a bit towards it rather frantically.

“My radar is picking up an abnormal reading ahead.” ARON suddenly states as the light he’d been admitting before turning off.

“What do you mean?” His statement causes you to hesitate as you hear the sound of loud whirring coming from above. You’re finally able to make out the light coming from above, finding it to be a red grid scanner similar to the one ARON uses for his reports. ”A search drone?” The thought comes in a second as you suddenly come to a stop, no longer walking forward as you stare up at the tree tops, simply waiting for the light to come closer.

Finally the device above breaches the tree tops, coming down to a lower height where the branches stopped. There you’re able to get a good look at it and recognize it from the news reports. It’s a null sector unit; an orbiter. It’s scanner grazes over the trees, the whirring sound from before coming from the humming jets keeping it airbound. The device scans over a section of bushes and stops, a beep leaving it’s speaker box before it continues on to the next set of bushes.

Your throat feels tight as you watch, frozen in fear as your mind races with what to do next. It’s slowly approaching, only stopping to scan the greenery in its path. You snap to your senses when it grows closer, forcing your body to move behind a nearby tree. The whirring of its jets still ring out in the silent forest, but they’re paired with your now frantic breaths as your hands clutch your crutches to your chest. ARON has gone entirely silent, the lights on his faceplate dim as the two of you hide. Your eyes are glued to the snow-covered floor that’s almost entirely dark aside from the faint glow of red as the orbiter approaches. When the grid sensor creeps ever so close to your foot, you tug it back away in fear it may catch the material in its scanning.

The red light slowly dims as the omnic moves away, however, leaving you able to breathe again as you trench onwards once more. “Oh my god- are there more?” You whisper over your shoulder to ARON, “Please tell me there aren’t.”

“I can confirm five more abnormal readings.” The bot in the hood of your coat states very matter of factly.

“Shit.” You curse through a breath and stop once again to look around. “Is that where the main signal is coming from?”

“Affirmative. Our best course of action would be to retreat from the coming forth area given the new information of Null Sector units ahead are plausible.”

You swallow down a dry throat and stare at the base of your crutches as you think. It’s already dark. Retreating now would mean having to walk through a pitch black forest with only a tiny light coming from ARON to help guide you. There was also the possibility of the units already being back at the wreckage. You’re screwed either way. “No, we’re going in.” You state firmly as you begin walking again. Before the bot gets to speak again you cut in, “We’re going to get just close enough so that you can ping the tower. You said there’s one ahead, right? It was just out of range. If we can get close enough you can send out a signal, that’s the plan, got it?”

ARON seems to hesitate before speaking again, possibly thinking. “Affirmative.”

“Good. We’ll stay hidden and get as close as possible. Just keep your light off.” Your throat feels tight as you continue forth, nerves beginning to eat at the back of your head. A part of you knows you should turn back… but you’d rather be shot by an omnic than freeze to death.

“Understood.”

It’s the only reply ARON gives as you continue forward through the dark forest. By now your eyes have adjusted to the new lighting. The sun is far gone and there’s no moon in the sky, only stars that provide minimal light to aid your struggling vision. As the two of you head onward you spot more orbiters, most speeding past with their sensors out as they perform quick scans. Each time they pass you hide behind a tree, keeping your limbs tucked in close as the omnics continue their surveillance across the snowy forest.

Despite the nerves bubbling up in your throat you push onwards, determination filling your drive as you duck down out of sight from the surveying omnics. You vaguely wonder what they’re doing so far out here. Their attack on Moscow was recent and for the majority it seemed as if they’d lost the battle in the country’s capital. Yet, here they were here at the border. It causes your brows to knit together in confusion as you inch closer, light slowly beginning to fill the area as you’re finally able to make out what appears to be heavy armoured trucks in the distance. ”Strange…” You think, brows rising as you move to hide behind the tall brush.

“ARON.” You whisper to get the robot’s attention, “Can you get a signal?”

The bot hums to life behind you, “Negative. The satellite tower in use seems to have been encrypted. The only way for a signal to broadcast outwards would be to decode it.”

You cocked your head to look over your shoulder at the other, “You can do that right?”

“Due to the limited functions I am currently capable of functioning at, only a direct connection to the tower’s mainframe would allow me to override the current encryption.”

You curse under your breath and peek out to the trucks, bringing a hand up to wipe the frost from your face once again as you take a survey of the area. In direct view you’re only able to locate a handful of omnics, most standing post around the truck. You don’t see a satellite in view until one of the troopers steps out of the way. It’s mounted to the back of the truck and continuously swivelling around. Your hand touches the tree as you lean farther out, trying to get a better view of the scene. “What are they doing?”

ARON gives a little buzz, “It seems the satellite tower in use is putting out a constant stream of data.”

“And that means?” You duck back behind the tree when the trooper looks in your direction.

“From what data I can translate I believe they are simply transmitting useless information across a broad system of networks.” The bot’s volume is low, not a whisper, but low enough to where it could be counted as one.

“Transmitting useless information?” You repeat back, feeling dumbfounded for a minute before it finally clicks in your head. “They’re jamming the network.” A little gasp leaves your throat at your own brilliance. “That’s it! That’s why you couldn’t send out the distress signal earlier, your drive isn’t damaged, they're just blocking the wavelengths. We just have to get in there and… and… and stop it…” Your words slow as reality hits, the confidence you had prior leaving you in mere seconds. You couldn’t take on omnics.

“The most likely outcome of that situation would be grim.” ARON states back rather bluntly.

You lift your head, peeling your eyes away from the ground back to the truck ahead. As much as your gut is curdling at the thought of going in, there’s something nagging at you in the back of your mind to do it. You swallow, considering the options carefully. You could turn back, go back to the impact sight where there are surely omnics stationed there by this point. You could go in another direction, risk getting lost with no shelter or food in the middle of a Russian winter with only one good leg. Or you could risk it all and go in, make an attempt to access the satellite no matter what the cost is. You’ve never hurt a soul in all your years on earth. Never got into a fight, rarely talked back to people, hell the only “bad” thing you ever did was curse. You couldn’t run in with just a knife and one leg and just… and just expect it to work.

You’re no soldier.

Your father was.



Growing up you found yourself fascinated with war and the history of it. Your dad had always been a history fanatic and whenever he was home would sit on the couch, watching world war two documentaries and whatever else he could get his grubby little hands on. Somehow you’d always find yourself at his side, watching the same documentaries and being swallowed up by them in mystery. Then by the end of it you’d groan out loud after realising you’d wasted two hours watching a history documentary. Then your father would give a laugh in return only to start another one.

You never cared about the time you wasted sitting there with him. Possibly because it was the only time you ever got with him. As far back as you could remember your father had always been in the marine corps. He’d joined years before your birth. The first time you remember seeing him he was in his uniform.

None of that mattered- what mattered was that he still cared.

Whenever he’d be let off base he’d come straight home and you’d wait for him to arrive where he’d greet you with open arms. He was an honest man and wanted to make his family proud just as much as he wanted to the country. And every time he returned he was always bringing you something back. A knickknack from his travels, a new toy that he just somehow always knew what you wanted. It didn’t matter, you kept every item as if it’d be the last one he ever did bring back.

And in return you indulged in his hobbies, even if it were things you didn’t enjoy. The history documentaries, hot dogs, fishing and shooting guns. You never cared for guns, but your father did. He was a military man after all. You could still recall the times he’d taken you out to an empty field with nothing more than a pistol, some ammo, and a bunch of soda cans you’d both emptied in the car ride out there. He taught you about gun safety, how to hold and aim one, and how to fire it. He always said it was because he wanted you to be ready for anything that was to happen. You knew of all the locations of the guns in your home despite your mother constantly reminding him that a thirteen year old didn’t need to know.

He and your mother still acted like they were teenagers in love.

Whenever he was home she was always full of smiles and giggles, hollering in surprise when he’d spin her around the kitchen as if they were still newlyweds. Their antics always brought a smile to your face, always made your heart throb with jealousy at how loving they were to one another. And as you’d watch him spin her around and come to a stop, he’d turn to catch your eyes only to do the same to you.

You always wondered what he was thinking when he was out on the field fighting for your country- fighting for your home. Was he ever scared? Probably. Even the planet’s toughest men have fears.

Your father’s fear was losing his home.

Your mother’s fear was losing you.



Without a response you began heading onwards. Sparking a curious buzz from ARON as you began your match forward towards the armoured truck you’d stop occasionally to hide behind a tree, an electric buzz in your veins as you carried onward. “What are your intentions?” The bot still in your hood asked curiously as you drew closer. The truck wasn’t too far from the two of you now. If you had both legs you could’ve easily ran up to it in a matter of a few seconds.

“I don’t know.” You finally replied once you were at walking distance, hiding behind a brush of shrubs that hid your figure from sight. From your position you could see a dirt road, one covered in snow and still fresh with tire marks, but a road nonetheless. There are two omnics standing guard of the truck, two regular troopers. You don’t see any other omnics than that and think back to how many of the scouts you’d seen. Three. ARON had accounted for five more after the first you’d seen, so these were the last two. “I’m not about to sit around and do nothing though.” You swallowed, right hand coming down to flick open the sheath on the combat knife. You hesitated to draw it, brows knitting together as your mind began to second guess yourself. It was too late now, you were too close and one of the trooper’s was beginning to take notice of the slight movements coming from the hedge.

As it approached you readied yourself, breaths beginning to pick up as your mind suddenly reeled with how crazy this was. You’re losing your mind. You don’t have to do this. You could still run away. As the trooper approached you pulled the knife from its sheath, pressing your exposed thumb to the flat of the blade as your fingers curled around the grip. It’s cold to the touch, reminding you of your torn gloves as the feeling falls numb on your skin.

The omnic trooper’s scanner appeared, a red light grid filing over the bush you hid behind.

The light flickered for merely a second before the omnic suddenly gave a loud beeping sound, alerting the others to its location.

You heard the arm cannon ready, the electric charging sound ringing in your ears as it aimed for your position.

Without any clear goal in sight you dropped one crutch, relying on the left to push yourself forward as your right hand gripped the knife hard enough for knuckles to turn white. The omnic seemed taken aback by your attack and fired it’s gun, missing and instead hitting the snow behind you. With your jaw clenched you drove the knife into the side of the omnic. You’re not thinking, eyes squeezed shut as you swing it as hard as you possibly could. The muscles in your arm tense and you feel a shock recoil down your spine, causing your forearm to flex at the sudden spike of pain. Then your ears are filled with the sound of electricity, like lightning conducting, and the sound of the omnic’s voice glitching.

Your eyes go wide at the sound and you jerk back, pulling the knife with you as the omnic before you short circuits. There’s blue flickers of electricity coursing through it, whipping around it’s torso where the orange core shines bright before suddenly blowing out. As it falls before you, your eyes look at the knife still in hand. Bright blue volts of electricity are whipping around the metal as a static, crackling buzz is reverberating in the air. The light coming through your layers of sweaters has grown brighter and you take merely a second to notice your neck is radiating a soft blue hue.

The noises draw attention from the others who begin to come closer, but instead of backing down you brace yourself to the tree again to hide. The omnic approaches, it’s scanner appearing too as it quickly goes on alert and readies its cannon. You take a deep breath and repeat exactly as you’d done before, using your crutch to push yourself forward on your good luck to drive the knife into the omnic’s side in a prayer that what’d happened before would happen again. To your luck, it does.

The sound of electricity conducting in the machine causes you to open your eyes, this time being able to see the electric shocks of blue electricity rippling from your hand, to your knife, and into the omnic. As you pull away, retracting your knife the omnic overloads and its body clambers to the ground much like the previous one. You step back, only now noticing how your arm feels numb as you force your fingers to release their grip on the knife. Tucking it away into the holster again, you look up to see movements coming from the truck. Your eyes look down to the omnics who’ve been fried and you swallow, stumbling back to catch yourself on the tree.

You hear the truck doors open as two talon soldiers hop out, speaking to one another in a foreign language as they begin to gauge the situation.

Adrenaline is now beginning to pump through your veins, though now that you think on it now, you’re unsure if it’s adrenaline or electricity. Possibly both. Your lungs feel like they’re on fire when you take another breath, reaching down to grab your discarded crutch before you begin to sneak your way around the truck. You hide behind the trees and brush, peeking over to see the two soldiers were now standing above the fried omnics looking confused as they continued to mutter to one another. You take their distraction as an opportunity to get close, fast walking to the open back doors of the truck where you peek inside to see an abundance of electronics inside with two chairs propped up to what appears to be a computer.

You take immediate notice of the guns sitting on the wall rack and think it was dumb of the soldiers not have taken their weapons, but figure this is your moment to take siege. In an instant you’re hauling yourself up into the truck, making far too much noise for your liking as you do so. You have to throw your crutch into said truck to climb in. It draws the attention of the two soldiers who begin rushing back, their footsteps causing snow to crunch under their boots. In a panic you sit yourself up on your one good knee, counterbalancing it by putting your hands on door handles.

As you begin to slam the doors shut a hand catches it causing you to squeeze your eyes shut as you slam it in the door hinge. The soldier outside gives a loud cry of pain as you break the bones in his fingers, holding the door handles shut with all your strength. Both soldiers are beginning to curse loudly in another language, banging on the metal doors as you struggle to keep them closed. Your eyes are flicking around the truck looking for something to hold the doors shut as you’re unable to lock it with the man’s hand in the hinge. Nothing aside from a pistol on the wall catches your eye.

You can’t shoot someone.

Your throat feels dry as you keep eyeing it, looking back to the doors that are slowly being pried open the free soldier. It’s your only chance, you have to defend yourself here. These guys are bad. You’ve seen them  on the news, recognize the uniforms they wear. They’re terrorists, they don’t deserve any sort of mercy. The doctor who made you this way with them. Dead or alive, he’s with them, they broke him out of prison and captured him. They’re on his side, not yours.

In a latch ditch effort you release the door handle and throw yourself to the truck’s side, grabbing the pistol off the rack. Your hands are shaking as you turn, raising it to the men ahead of you. In the back of your mind you hear your father’s voice from when you were a preteen, the familiar instructions he’d given you that day he’d taught you how to fire a gun.

"Good, now raise your arms, check the magazine, cock the handle and fire. And remember... Don't ever miss.”

Your throat felt tight as you repeated the instructions through your hands, extending your arms out before tapping the magazine and cocking the handle right as the doors swung open. Despite how badly you wanted to close your eyes, you didn’t, keeping them open as you pulled the trigger. Everything felt slow in the moment as the bullet left the chamber, firing out to hit the first soldier right in his chest. As he fell you proceeded to unload the magazine, shooting the other man twice in the head before you turned your aim back to the first man who was beginning to stand. You shot again, hitting him two more times in the chest before the final hit his head.

The two men fell silent, their bodies dropping to the ground with an unceremonious thump.

When they didn’t move you allowed yourself a breath, practically choking as you inhaled sharply. Your hands began shaking as you lowered the pistol, eyes wide and staring at the two lifeless men on the ground. With the immediate threat gone your mind finally began to catch up, shock coursing through your body. The gun in your hand fell to the floor of the truck as you took a shaky breath, bringing your hands up to wipe your face from the sweat that’d formed on your brow. Your gut was clenching painfully, but you didn’t feel the usual pull of tears coming on. No, no tears. Not this time.

“They would’ve killed me.” You said in a shaky voice, looking back to the corpses once more before reaching forward to close the doors again.

“The probability was likely.” ARON said from your hood as you locked the doors before scooting further into the truck.

Your ears were ringing as you took long, deep breaths to calm yourself. “Did… Did I do the right thing, ARON?” The words that left your throat cracked as you asked the bot, feeling unsure of yourself now that it was over.

“I’m not sure I could give you a definitive answer.” ARON’s voice was quiet as he replied, making you feel that the robot truly didn’t know.

For a long moment you sat there staring at the doors of the truck, wondering if somehow they were going to stand again. If they did, they’d surely come for you now had they not already been before. Your hands were still shaking. A continuous reminder of what had been done. You were frozen for a long moment, body slumping until you eventually leaned against the side of the truck with a long, exhausted sigh. “Shit…” Your eyes looked behind you to the computers still running, causing you to swallow as you remembered why you were here to begin with.

Slowly you crawled your way to the chair and hesitated before reaching behind you to pull ARON from your hood. “How do I plug you up?” Your hands rolled his head around in your hands as you looked for something to plug into him, finding the bottom had various cords that you hadn’t cut still hanging out. Before the bot would be able to answer you would grab one of these cords and move to the display to find a port on the desk. You took the cord and plugged him in, hoping it was the right thing.

ARON’s eyes grew bright again at the new source of power and began working instantly, allowing you the chance to climb into the chair and relax. “I am sending a distress signal now along with the gathered information of your attack.”

“Is that so..?” You finally felt exhaustion begin to overtake you, eyes feeling heavy as you sat in the chair to watch ARON work. His head was sitting on the desk, the familiar thinking circle coming back to his display to spin as various tasks began appearing on the monitors above. You sighed, bringing your hands up to rub your eyes as your dry throat brought back the reminder of how downright terrified you had been. The adrenaline that’d been pumping through your veins had finally passed, leaving you exhausted and capable of feeling the emotions that would’ve otherwise left you paralyzed.

After a long bout of silence ARON finally spoke again. “A team has been flagged down and are making an immediate detour to our location for evacuation.”

You nodded, “Thank god.” Before you allowed yourself a moment to rest you turned to reach down to the floor, grabbing the pistol you’d previously disregarded there previously. You let it rest on your lap as you got comfortable in the metal chair, eyes falling shut as your shoulders slumped.

Eventually your mind would eventually drift back to the crash site, thinking of the soldiers who were probably caked in thick layers of snow by now. It made your gut clench in guilt, but you forced yourself to remember what you’d done to get here. You took down two omnics and two soldiers- even if you weren’t exactly sure what happened with the omnics. The memory caused your brows to twitch and you curiously rolled your sleeve up to look at your arm. It still felt as if it were buzzing. Under the layers of clothing you were able to see your veins were neon blue and slightly raised from the skin.

ARON seemed to take notice as well and stated quietly, “Your AFA is showing increased signs of activity.”

“Hm?” You cocked your head to him. “Is this… is this what overcharging is?” Alina’s words were still fresh in your head as you looked back to your arm. Your chest was still buzzing as well, the heat had doubled and would’ve otherwise made you sweat if it weren’t for the extreme cold still chilling your breath. Your arms were numb, especially your right where your hand was still exposed due to the torn glove.

“I believe so.” ARON’s eyes followed yours, looking down to your arm then your hand. “However, I believe you may have discovered a way to expel the energy safely.”

Without replying you roll your sleeve back down and swallow, tilting your head back to look at the roof of the truck. As you do, you find yourself able to see your reflection in the metal surface being illuminated by the computer’s display. Your face is heavily scarred. The right side of your neck up to your forehead in practically a perfect line. A thick, nasty scar is now firmly implanted into your skin. The sight causes you to reach up and feel over it, eyes going wide as you examine yourself in the poor reflection. “ARON.” You look back down to the robot, “Was my face burned?”

ARON looks to you before his scanner comes out to do another quick-scan. “I believe so. However, your previous wounds seemed to have healed.”

Another glance to yourself in the reflection causes you to frown, hand still tracing over the ugly scar that has now altered your appearance. Judging based on Alina’s words you can assume it’s due to your modified genes- no normal person would’ve healed so quickly. You only wish it were a nice wound, not an ugly one made to seem as if a kid filled in the cracks with clay.

You rip your eyes away from your own reflection and look down to the floor instead, swallowing down an uncomfortable lump in your throat before you cross both arms over your chest. Closing your eyes you accept the sudden pull for sleep coming on. “Wake me if you notice anything, ARON.” As the bot gives a simple confirmation at your request.





“Please wake up now.”

ARON’s voice rips you from your sleep, causing you to jerk up in the seat with your hand grabbing the pistol in your lap. The sound of jet engines could be heard from outside, loud and roaring. There’s a loud bang from outside the truck as you struggle to sit up. Another bang follows on the back doors of the vehicle, causing you to whip around and hold the pistol ready. You’re not sure if whatever is to come is friendly or not. While you want to believe it’s the rescue team, the possibility of more Null Sector troops coming at the loss of communication is still high.

The door bangs again, the lock beginning to give as the metal is suddenly pulled on harshly.

The doors fling open and you cock the gun, holding it steady this time. However you drop the weapon upon seeing the face looking back at you, “It’s you.”

The body builder with pink hair stands outside the vehicle with initially a shocked look only to smirk back to you.

Notes:

Now that we're beginning to breach into the main driving story of the Fanfic, and given the main lore for Overwatch is a bit, well, vague- here are a few ideas / headcanons that'll be used for the FanFic. These ideas are going to be given now so that some conflicts can be avoided later.

- Junkrat and Roadhog are operating in Overwatch after their capture by the Australian government. The pair was offered a place in Overwatch in return for their charges to be dropped. The Overwatch headquarters would take in the two convicts and wipe their criminal records clean as long as they were to comply with given orders.

- Null Sector and Talon have joined forces in their attempts for world takeover.
- Following the same lines, the city of Toronto, Canada has been over-run by Null Sector and is now occupied by the group.

 

Side Notes!

For all references to any omnic units mentioned (aside from ARON-14), check the webpage for Null Sector on the Overwatch Wiki! Same goes for any Talon members to be mentioned.

As always thank you for reading and be on the look out for updates!

Please bookmark me!!! <3

Chapter 5: Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

The man sitting across from you looks as if he’d just walked out of a western film. Spurs on the back of his heels, leather chaps, a heavy belt buckle, a red poncho around his neck, and a classic cowboy hat just to put a cherry on top. He looks, and sounds, the part too. Small but subtle scars adorning his features that gave him an aged look. His voice had a heavy southern drawl to it as he spoke, the accent filling the ship’s bay. His eyes were cold and staring, waiting for an answer to the question he’d given. The revolver in the sheath on his hip hadn’t left his good hand since you boarded the Orca. The glare he was given was making your nerves bundle anxiously in your gut.

“Uhm…” You swallowed down the lump in your throat as you thought on how to explain it. “My father was in the military… taught me how to shoot.” One brow raised on the cowboy’s forehead as you mumble the words, hands caressing ARON’s head in your lap. The robot had been disconnected and reconnected to a battery, allowing him to function at full capacity once again. You, however, refused to let the bot leave your sight or lap. “He always made it a point to never miss,” You said, referring to the memory of your father. “It was his number one rule; never shoot unless you intend to kill them.” The nerves in your gut were bubbling anxiously as you finally pulled your eyes away from the cowboy’s.

A scoff left him at your answer, “Well…. you’ve got one hell of a shot. Yer tellin’ me a girl like you can shoot someone drop-dead without hesitating?” There was venom in the man’s voice as his eyes narrowed, suspicious of your reasoning and actions. “And so how’d you take down those bots, huh? I didn’t see any bullet holes, just a cut. Explain that one, missy.”

“Quiet.” The woman sitting next to him spoke up in a calm yet demanding tone that caused the cowboy to falter as his eyes flickered to her face. “This is not the time, nor place.” Prior to boarding you’d be introduced to the woman by Zarya; Her name, as far as you knew, was Ana. She was much, much older than the ship crew and wore a cloak that covered the majority of her small figure. A rifle was at her side, fastened safely to her shoulder. She fell silent again as Cole backed down, jaw clenched as his fingers tensed around the revolver still strapped to his side.

Silence filled the ship again as you kept your eyes to the floor.

Zarya had been the first to help you out of the truck, but only after she realised you weren’t an immediate threat. You felt guilty for raising a gun to her and apologised profusely, mumbling over the reasons why and how you had thought she was another soldier or omnic. The woman didn’t seem fazed the slightest. Instead she shook her head to your reasonings and gestured you along with a hand to the small of your back. You were placed into a seat of the Orca where she explained you were to be transported to the nearest hospital for clearance. As she stepped away, leaving you alone, you opened your mouth momentarily to speak up about Alina and the doctor you were supposed to be transported to. It occurred to you that there was a possibility that Zarya might know Alina. They’d been at the foundation together, perhaps they’d crossed each others paths before? The thought of her also somehow recognizing you crossed your mind, but you didn’t speak on it.

Sadly your questions would get unanswered as you closed your mouth and fell silent. The ship’s door was still open, allowing you a perfect view to the truck that lay a few yards away off the main road. The team had stepped out to examine the scene, speaking to one another in momentary confusion before a secondary team approached for clean up. The main team, the one you now sat with inside the Orca’s passenger bay, reboarded the ship still discussing the scene. You felt awkward sitting there in silence, just waiting to be asked or told something.

You weren’t expecting the first things to be said after the ship took off were accusations from the cowboy.

The lump in your throat wouldn’t leave no matter how many times you swallowed, still feeling very uncomfortable. A part of you reasoned that the cowboy had the right to be suspicious. They rescued a civilian only to find said person took down four of the enemy by themselves with only one leg? It’s suspicious, you could honestly side with them on that one. You didn’t even think you had it in yourself to begin with. You supposed your will to live was far stronger than you remembered it being. All of them were cautious of you, eyes glaring as they sat on the opposite side of the Orca with tense shoulders.

You’d already discovered this team was a part of the group Overwatch. The reports of them had been all over the news as their presence was still somewhat controversial. Apparently the group had been disbanded in the past following the first omnic crisis. They were only now making a return after almost eight years of dormancy. The people now sitting with you were highly trained professionals, all on edge and understanding that you may be a threat to their safety. It was only based on the fact that you’d taken down the soldiers and omnics by yourself. You kept your mouth shut about any other details, waiting to be in the presence of possibly law enforcement or perhaps more medics before you’d say anything else. You weren’t sure of what jurisdiction this group had… but you had a feeling based on the sour taste the cowboy’s questions gave you- that telling them about your condition wouldn’t be the best choice.

There was a lingering pain in your chest and arm.

You’d noticed it previously upon waking up, but it was only seeming to get worse now that you were tense. The rational part of your mind chopped it up to nerves and possibly the fact that you were still sore from all the activity you’d put yourself through. Trenching through snow, fighting off the omnic and soldiers, surely that had all put a damper on your body. You weren’t exactly fit, but you definitely weren’t out of shape either. Back at the foundation Alina pressured you into keeping good health. Which meant daily visits to the gym where you trained what remainder of your body you had left. It kept your arms toned, that’s for sure.

However, the pain was beginning to grow more noticeable. It was hard to ignore an hour into the flight as your neck was next to grow sore. Maybe sleeping in that chair made your body stiff. It just… it didn’t feel right though. Something in the back of your mind was a constant reminder telling you something’s wrong. Your arms were beginning to tingle too.

“I have noticed increased neural activity.” ARON’s robotic voice snapped your head down to look at him still in your lap, his pixelated eyes focused on you.

“I’m fine…” You whispered back, eyes flicking up to the agents still sitting across from you. They were looking at you now, waiting to see your discussion with the bot. “I’m just nervous.”

“A nervous and anxious response is perfectly normal under stressful situations. One would describe our current situation as: stressful.”

His statement made you laugh a little, “Yes. It’s stressful. I don’t even know where we’re going…” You mumbled the words as you glanced to the window to only see a dark sky.

“I am worried about your current physiological state.”

Your eyes looked back down to ARON as he spoke, causing your brows to crease in confusion as his scanned came out to flicker over you. “I’m fine ARON. Like I said, I’m just ner-”

“I have detected increased activity in the AFA core. Such activity is currently deemed harmful to your current physical state.” His cracked screen flickered to life as a new display was shown of a diagram of the core inside your chest. There were a few red warning signs around the screen, little notes showing extending from key points of the device’s core.

“What did that bot just say?” The cowboy suddenly stood, his good hand gripping the handle of his peacekeeper as his eyes narrowed.

The sudden movement caused you to tense, a hard lump forming in your throat as your eyes looked up to the agent now standing his ground. The other agents had taken notice as well, Ana now looking far less relaxed than she was prior. “Uhm, h-he was just telling me that I’m nervous.” You swallowed, hands beginning to shake as you brought them down to hold ARON’s head on your lap. The action suddenly causes a spark, a gasp leaving your throat as you look down to see sparks of electricity shooting off the spot where your exposed right thumb brushed over the bot’s display screen. You jerk your hands away, eyes wide as you watch ARON’s display glitch from the electric disturbance. As his eyes flicker back you’re suddenly very aware of the buzzing coming from your right hand, “ARON? ARON, are you okay?”

The bot doesn’t get the chance to respond as the cowboy draws his pistol and points it to you. “You better start talkin’ girly.” His eyes are still narrowed as he grimaces, “There’s something fishy about you and quite frankly I’m not fishing.”

The threat causes a spike of pain in your chest, your left hand coming up to clutch it as panic begins to riddle you. When you go to open your mouth nothing comes out, only a pained groan from the sharp pains beginning to litter your chest, neck, and arms. A headache is now pounding in the back of your skull, eyes squeezing shut as you struggle to take a breath. “W-Wait-” You struggle to get the words out, holding your right hand out in defence toward the cowboy. It’s hard to breathe. You’re struggling with each gasp, alerting the two women behind Cole as you begin to hunch over in your seat.

“I ain’t fallin’ for it, talk.” He pulls the hammer back on the pistol, readying it.

“-detecting high levels of voltage being expelled from the AFA’s core.” ARON’s voice returns mid-sentence as his screen flickers back to life only to waver in and out. “Such levels are putting all major organs at risk for permanent damage to the biomolecular cell structures.”

Ana finally stands from her chair, rushing over to shove past the cowboy who staggers backwards at her sudden movement. Her one eye is narrowed, but not in a suspicious way, more of a thinking one as she speaks, “You possess the AFA?” Her voice is cold, but not condescending. A serious, firm tone that brings you back to your senses for a second as you nod. Her head looks back to Cassidy who’s eyes wide before he puts the revolver away quickly before rushing away to the front of the ship.

Breaths are hard to take as you hyperventilate, white spots flashing in your vision as dizziness is causing your eyes to wander. You can barely even focus on ARON as the core starts rambling off about your current physical state. The buzzing in your ears is growing louder as your hands begin to shake almost violently, causing you to look down to see the light expelling from your hands from the veins bulging there. It takes you by surprise, brows creasing as your thoughts struggle to think of what was beginning to happen.


“They overcharged and boom!”


Alina’s voice replayed in your mind as your stomach dropped at the thought. You swallowed, forcing words from your throat in a panic. “I’m overcharging-” You could feel it. Electricity wrapping around each particle of your body and squeezing, leaving tremors in its wake as your body struggles to cope with the energy. “I’m overcharging!”

Your words seem to finally hit the crew, a state of emergency beginning to wash through the ship as they stand to move around frantically. Ana is still staring back and for once in shock, as if she’s unsure of what to do. Zarya finally approached, brows knitting together in concern as she glanced down to the old medic. “What do we do?” Her accent was thick through words as she reached out towards you. As she does the gloves on her hand flicker to life with the power, causing her to give a little gasp as they begin conducting the power similar to how her particle cannon normally would.

The pain is beginning to become unbearable as you groan, reaching your right hand out to grab the chair next to you in an attempt to ground yourself. As your fingertips touch the cold, metal frame of the chair, electricity ripples from the contact in a loud cracking sound that fills the room. The ship’s lights begin to flicker as the energy is conducted by the Orca, leaving your body in heavy flows that cause the plane to drop out of the sky before the jet’s lift it. As the cabin is jostled around, ARON falls from your lap and rolls across the floor, joining the other items that fall from the turbulence.

It’s over in seconds however as you rip your hand from the metal and you’re finally able to breathe again. Your chest is still tight as you suck in a breath only to choke and cough, eyes wide in panic as you wobble in the chair. The old medic catches you before you fall, looking as shocked as you as you begin to breathe normally once again. Your body is still shaking, however, tremors making your hands jerk and spasm uncomfortably.

Cassidy reappears in the cabin with another woman in tow. Both are looking at you and the other agents now gathered around you. The girl looks far younger than everyone else on board, closer to your age you would presume. She wears heavy armour, however, far heavier than Ana or Cassidy. She approaches you before Cassidy does, rushing down the steps from the cockpit to press her way past the others.

Before anyone else can touch you, you swat their hands away in a frenzy. “Don’t touch me!” Your voice leaves you before you get the chance to make it sound nice, eyes still wide as you stare off at the floor with spotted vision. They step away, giving you a bit of space as you take the moment to breathe in an attempt to calm yourself. No matter your hands continue to shake tremendously, your chest is still pinging in pain as your body attempts to recover. As you look at your fingers you find they’re already beginning to heal, new scar tissue forming as the blisters previously there are beginning to fade away. You swallow, closing your eyes before dropping your hands into your lap.

“Are you alright?” Brigitte finally asks nervously. Worry and concern are plaguing her features as she goes to touch you again, but stops herself to instead keep her hands to herself.

“No!” You snap back, swallowing the lump in your throat as you look up to the agents still surrounding you. “No, I’m not alright!” The words leave your mouth in a venomous way, eyes alight with irritation as the crew is taken aback by your sudden tone. Your head is still throbbing in pain much like the rest of you, a buzz still ringing in your ears as your hands are slowly beginning to feel numb once again; a familiar feeling. “My ship was shot down and we crashed. I survive only to walk over 25 kilometers in fucking ankle-high snow with only one god damn foot, to fight off a bunch of people to save my own life only to then finally be rescued and have a gun pointed at me because you all find it suspicious someone was just trying to fucking survive! I’m sorry I did the right thing!” Your voice is loud as you explain yourself, only stopping to take a few more breaths before speaking once again. “I understand your suspicion- I do! But you didn’t give me a chance to explain myself.”

Cassidy’s brow twitches at that and he finally snaps back, “I asked you!”

“You asked me as you pointed a revolver at me!” You yell back and the man seems taken aback once more, a nervous look flashing over his features. “I just needed a minute to calm down… You all don’t understand how much this damn thing hurts.” As you finish your hands come up to bury your face in them, a loud sigh coming from you as you settle. “You’re just as scared of it as I am.” Your voice finally falls flat as you’re defeated, the strength having been (quite literally) zapped out of you.

“You are not to blame.” Ana brings your hand down once again to rest it on your shoulder comfortingly. “We are aware of your condition.”

Her words cause you to lift your head from your hands, “You are?”



After a discussion you come to find that Dr. Angela Ziegler is the Swiss doctor who took your case.

The team now sitting quietly in the Orca with you had just happened to be leaving their post from Moscow back to the main headquarters when they were informed of ARON’s distress signal notifying them of Talon forces. You were finally introduced to them properly. Cassidy, Brigitte, Ana, and Zarya. The small team seemed far more relaxed now that they knew of your background, but you’re possibly more relieved than they are. They’re finally relaxed. You can see the tension that was once there before had dissipated, leaving behind a more soothing atmosphere as the team takes it upon themselves to rest. The only one who even seems remotely uncomfortable is Cassiy- but you don’t think on it too much.

Now you’re on a direct route back to the headquarters with the team.

A guilt is eating at you, however. You feel horrible for snapping at them in such an ugly manner, but you have to constantly remind yourself that had Cassidy not pointed a firearm at you- things probably would’ve turned out differently. In a way, it was a good thing- talk about fate. Had he not threatened you, they would’ve possibly never found out about the AFA and you’d be instead sitting somewhere in a random hospital waiting on god knows what.

ARON had been returned to your lap and you apologised for dropping the bot, but as per usual he is far more concerned with your own well-being over his own. You vaguely wonder if they were going to be able to repair him; surely they would be able to. He seems simple enough to repair. Even if he was zapped a little. Speaking of zap, your mind drifts back to the energy that had just previously been locked in your body. You were overcharging… but you were able to dispel some of the overcharge? At least, that’s what you think. Brigitte mentioned that the ship’s drive had taken some damage from the electric shock, but all was still well. ARON had mentioned before that you’d “discovered” how to expel some of the built energy when you took down those omnics. You had electrocuted them and fried their cores. ”Huh… neat.” You’re honestly somewhat impressed with yourself.

The tremors still didn’t leave your hands for the duration of the flight despite now being calm. ARON stated that it was likely it would take a day of recovery for your body to return to its previous state as such high voltage was an anomaly. “You could say that twice…” You snorted back. An anomaly is putting it nice; you’re lucky to even be alive. People don’t just get (basically) struck by lightning and just survive without injuries. Though you suppose your scarred fingers count as injuries, albeit minor ones.

You bring your hand down to pet ARON’s head, but stop yourself. Hesitating, you look to your right hand before then looking to your left, instead bringing down the fully gloved hand to pet the bot. You know how electricity conducts of course, you’re not dumb. You’ve already figured by now that skin to etc. contact could possibly lead to shocking someone, or something.

ARON’s eyes flicker at you and you smile, stroking the faceplate of the robot with a chuckle. “I’m glad you’re still here, ARON.” The bot’s eyes scan your face, trying to decipher how to respond, but ultimately stays silent.



When the Orca began approaching the final destination various people began standing to gather their things, one of the first being Zarya who flashed you a smile. You took the opportunity to look out the window, finally getting a view of the base the ship was slowly descending to. Said base was massive, overhanging the seaside with various satellites standing post on the buildings. Brigitte had been nice enough to inform you of where you were going, much to Ana’s displeasement as if it were classified information. You could easily make the assumption that she was afraid to tell you in case you were some sort of informant… but you pushed the thought away quickly. Sadly you wouldn’t get the chance of a better view as the Orca landed, causing you to bounce lightly in your seat before your attention would turn to standing.

Carefully, you stood with one crutch with the other arm holding ARON so you could balance yourself. The robot stayed quiet, for once, as you gathered your things and turned to see Ana standing there. “Stick with me.” She flashed you a tiny smile and nodded her head towards the door before turning herself. You followed in tow, waiting for the large door to hold open and allow the team to step out into the ship bay.

There were various people walking about going along in their days as if nothing had changed. ”Nothing probably did.” You thought to yourself as you followed, unable to take your eyes away from the various personnel walking around, some with supplies in hand. The lady before you glanced back expectantly, causing you to give a little, “Oh!” before quickly following along. Before you knew it two teammates who’d been there previously were gone, leaving only Brigitte to follow along with you and Ana.

The woman noticed you glancing at her and so flashed a smile in return before saying quietly, “Don’t worry! You’ll love Angela.”

You smiled back nervously, giving a little nod yourself before turning your attention forward once more.



Each new area you stepped into was more fascinating than the last. You were beginning to feel like a kid on Christmas looking at all the new things, mesmerised with the technology you hadn’t gotten the chance to see up close before. Back at the foundation you weren’t permitted to ever into any of the other buildings. You were only ever allowed in the recreational areas, never the workshop or training field. It suddenly occurred to you that here, on Gibraltar, you’d possibly be able to do such tasks. A distant hope. You were just tired of being bored all the time. If you were going to be caged up like a ferocious beast you should at least be able to have hobbies. Hell, maybe you could be of some use?

As you passed by what you presumed to be the workshop giving the sounds coming from the door, Brigitte suddenly broke away with a small ‘goodbye’ in her native tongue before slipping into the building. When the door opened your suspicions would be confirmed as the sounds of drills, metal, and whatnot could be heard loudly spilling out into the corridor. However as soon as the door shut the sounds would cease (almost) entirely. Talk about sound proofing.

Ana nudged your arm when you were rubbernecking and your attention snapped back to her with a nervous laugh. She seemed to smile back, however, and shook her head as a mother would. “You seem optimistic.”

Her words caused you to falter, brows raising in surprise as you opened your mouth only to find it dry. “Uhm… is that bad?” You couldn’t help but laugh again from the nerves.

She shook her head, “No, not at all. It’s refreshing to see someone seemingly excited for once.”

“It’s not seemingly- I am.” Your smile relaxed. “Back at the foundation I wasn’t really allowed to do much.”

“Hm.” Her smile dropped a bit as she thought on it and the reaction caused a tinge of worry to fill your gut at the chances that you would also be limited here. “I only say that because of your condition. Most would be fearful for their future.”

“Oh.” You looked to the ground as your brain paced for a good answer. “Well,” As you lifted your head you cocked it to the right to see the oceanfront beyond the rocks. “I guess that… I’m still coming to terms with it.” A smile came to your features at the thought and you could feel ARON buzz lightly in your arm. The breeze coming from the ocean brought a sense of clarity as you thought through it, looking off at the dark ocean lit by only the moon. “But there’s no use in getting sad over it. I am the way I am- even if that I am isn't how I want it to be.” You stopped and looked back to the hardened medic who was now smiling to you almost fondly.

“Well then.” A little chuckle leaves her. “You would make a man I know seem as if he were a pen to a quill.” Her metaphor would only seem to confuse you further as you watched her walk ahead.



Dr. Angela Ziegler was a seemingly simple woman.

When the two of you stepped into her office the first thing she did was rush over to you with a smile before beginning to check your vitals. You were distracted by her looks, finding the woman oddly attractive especially being so close. Yet you let her check you over, standing almost entirely still as she pressed a stethoscope to your wrist then inside of your coat to your neck. It was all very sudden, but her touch heavily reminded you of Alina. Reassuring, calm, collected. The doctors shared enough similarities that you felt safe in this woman’s presence- even if you’d only known her for less than a minute.

When she stepped away she gave an apology through a sigh. “I am sorry, I was informed of your whereabouts after the rescue arrived.” She frowned after those words as she looked over you, more particularly your face. “Were you not injured in the crash?”

“Oh, uhm, yes… I was.” You snapped back into yourself when she spoke to you and looked only to see Ana had already left you be. “I’m okay though, really. I’m already healed up.” As she stared at your features your own hand came up subconsciously to feel over the scars now adorning your face. “I woke up in the forest already healed, but I know that I was injured. Alina, er, Dr. Lengar, has already told you of my condition, yes?”

Angela gave a firm nod, “Yes. Yes she has. I was also informed of the incident on the ship.”

Your stomach dropped at her words, a frown tugging its way onto your lips with a sigh following close after. “Awesome…” The sarcastic tone rang high as you looked away from her eyes. “Everyone fears me, yes?”

The doctor frowned back, “Do not say such things… even if, well, they may be possible.” She tried to give a smile to reassure you, but it came off half heartedly as a sigh left her. “We have all been made aware of your condition, but please be aware we have also been made aware that we are here to help.”

Her words did bring an ounce of comfort to your otherwise heavy mind, causing you to nod. “Okay… where do we start?”



The tests ran were almost identical to that of the one’s Alina performed.

You didn’t protest to any of them, having familiarised yourself with all the procedures by this point anyways. Instead you took the opportunity to tell Angela of your past as she continued to study your body. She seemed highly interested, stopping to take notes exactly as Alina had done previously. The similarities actually made you smile when she suddenly dropped whatever she was doing to jot down anything she found interesting.

Eventually she would leave the room for a moment to go grab your test results, leaving you alone with only the robe she’d given you to cover yourself with. On the nearby counter your pile of clothes were still laid out, the coat you’d initially had on separated and spread to where the doctor could see the holes in it as she’d been comparing them to your scars before. Your eyes fell to the core sitting on the pile of clothes. He’d been dead silent the entire time you’d been sitting there and it was only now making you nervous. “ARON?” His faceplate came to life when he spoke up, eye lights flickering to look at you.

Before he spoke you gave a nervous laugh, “I was worried you were gone there for a second.”

“I am still here.” He stated simply. “Is there anything I could assist you with?”

“No, I’m good buddy.” You smiled back, “How’s your battery?”

“My current battery level is at eighty-nine percent.” Your brows raised in surprise at that. “It appears my battery has been recharged.”

“When I zapped you?” The thought left your mouth before your head and it caused you to snort. “Sorry.”

“It is alright. The experience was interesting and I’ve taken the proper procedures to document my experiences.” There was a familiar buzz coming from the bot that somehow made you snicker at his comment.

“If you say so, ARON.” The door slid open again and the doctor stepped back in with a bag in one hand.

“Alright, I think I have enough data for today.” Angela stated with a little nod before she looked to you, still smiling. “How about we get you set up in a room and I’ll go over the general rules and procedures with you? But first, go ahead and change into these. Something clean to wear.”

You honestly expected more testing to be done today, but hey, you weren’t going to complain about not being tested on. So you nodded and accepted the bag she offered to you before she closed the curtain to give you some privacy. You changed, keeping your bum on the table as you disrobed to inspect the clothes given. The first being a simple gray t-shirt with the group’s logo on the chest. You pulled it on, finding it thinner than expected, but it fit almost perfectly. However, you could see the blue glow coming from the centre of your chest rather noticeably. Also your arms were exposed given they were short sleeved, but oh well. Besides, this place is far warmer than Russia. The next article of clothing were black shorts which you found far more comfortable than they looked.



Now dressed you adjusted your prosthetic and pulled your crutches under your arms before standing up from the medical table. The curtain pulled back as you did, revealing Angela who was holding something in her hands. “Here, please wear these at all times when possible.”

You stopped to take the item, finding they were a pair of black gloves. They seemed worn, the padding on the fingers flattened and the fabric having gone soft from wear. On the top you spotted odd wires carefully sewn into the gloves and causing your brows to knit together as you inspected them

“Zarya gave them to you. She says they are her old pair.” The doctor smiled as you adorned the gloves and tightened the velcro strips at the wrists. “They will conduct any excess electricity from you and expel it safely. Zarya believes the same thing happened during the ship incident today when she went to touch you.”

“Oh.” Your brows shot up in surprise as you looked over the gloves, rubbing the padding between your fingers at the odd feeling of them. “Soo… these won’t make me zap anyone?”

“I believe so.” She nodded. “Until we find a better solution this will be the best. I’ve already sent your test results to Winston as he will be in charge of managing the AFA. Tomorrow you and I will have a meeting with him to best conclude our next course of action. For now let’s get you some rest.” The doctor’s smile was genuine as she gestured to you to follow.

Of course you did, following her out of the medical wing and down to an elevator. You carried ARON under your arm with your hand curled up to cradle him carefully. You tilted your head as your gloved thumb palmed over his cracked faceplate as you thought of the events that guided you here. During your discussion before Angela said that the crashed Orca had been located and measurements would be taken by the state as it was out of their hands. You’d asked about Alina too, wondering if she knew that you were safe. To your relief she’d already been informed of your arrival and condition. You were excited to call her later to check in, but for now you felt like you wanted to take some time off first.

As you looked back down to the bot in your hands you found he was looking back up to you, causing a question to rise as you looked at Angela. “Uhm, not to be a bother, but is there any way we could possibly repair him?” You raised your hands a bit to show the core to the doctor who glanced back with a little ‘oh’.

“Of course.” She smiled, “I haven’t seen this model in many years.” She gave a little ‘hm’ as she curiously looked over the bot’s head. “I didn’t even see you bring him in…”

“ARON’s been with me since I woke up.” You smiled, “After the crash his mobility unit was crushed by the plane so I had to remove him.” As you spoke you looked back down to the bot who was still staring back silently. “I think he deserves a new one.”

“Well of course. I’ll see what Torbjörn can cook up for you. He’s excellent at repairs.”

“Hm.” You nodded in return before looking ahead to see you two were entering a long corridor with various doors. A few of the doors were open and as you passed you peered in, seeing various bedroom bunks- a few with people inside chatting. One room had a girl inside at a desk, and from what you could see, was playing a video game. She was shouting in a foreign language as well, slapping the mouse to the desk out of frustration. An odd sight to see on a military base…

“Here we are.” When you reached the end of the corridor Angela stopped to show you one of the doors. She proceeded to tap a card to the door lock before handing you said card. “This is your keycard, try not to lose it. If you do by chance lose it then just ask Winston for assistance.” As you nodded and stepped in you found the room was very plain. A simple bed, a desk, a closet, and a nightstand. “Sorry it’s not much.” The doctor must’ve picked up on your surveying. “The watchpoint facility is still under repairs at the moment so most of our funding goes there. You are allowed to decorate your room however you feel is best.”

“Thank you.” You offered the woman a smile before setting ARON down on the desk carefully, watching his faceplate dim as he went into sleep mode. “I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” You turn to Angela who’s still standing there, hands crossed over her waist respectfully as she waited to see if you had any more questions.

“You are very welcome.” She smiles back and takes a step towards the door. “If you need anything, just press this button here and Athena will be at your assistance.” She stopped to point to a button on the door panel, “Just ask for me and I’ll be here when I can. Okay?”

“Sounds good. Goodnight, doctor.”


“Please, just call me Mercy.” Her words and smile were genuine as the door slid open and she left, leaving you alone for the evening.


A sigh left your lips as you turned back to the empty room.

Somehow it made you smile. An empty room is a blank slate. Plus you’ll be able to decorate it however you want. That makes you hope they find your luggage in all the wreckage. The blanket Alina had given you is in there as well as the few posters you’d gotten from the cooks. You missed them. At least you still have ARON. Hopefully once you’re settled in a bit more you’ll be able to make some new friends… maybe ones that aren’t suspicious of your shooting.

Sitting on the bed you set your crutches aside and took off your prosthetic, pressing the release button on the plating side for it to click off. You set it down on the floor carefully and pulled yourself further into the bed, stretching out for a much needed sleep as your body finally processed the idea of relaxing. You were tired. The day’s events were still passing through your mind like a slideshow. The crash, the wreckage, the bots and soldiers, being rescued by the agents- the whole nine yards. Some points made your stomach curl uncomfortably, but you shook the thoughts away. Right now you just need some sleep over everything. Though as you drifted off…

You wondered what tomorrow’s gonna be like.

Notes:

Sorry this chapter has so many jump-cuts!

Thank you for reading! <3

Chapter 6: Author's Notes and Updates.

Chapter Text

Updated: 11/22/2022


Welcome back everyone! ( ^◡^)っ ♡

Chapter 10 of Junkrat & Roadhog's route as been posted! 
(Here's a quick link to it!)


Story-Related Question section has been added below.


Thank you all for the support and kudos left behind on my works!

The comments are lovely and I appreciate seeing every one of them and I always try to reply to them.
I spend some time writing FanFics as a hobby, so it's loving to see the support from the readers who are here with me.

If you have any thoughts of questions please let me know! <3
I will almost always reply, even if it does take me some time.


Here are the current plans for this series! (Links Included!)

┌ Aomnical:
│Introduction: Completed ✔ (You're here!)
│Junkrat / Roadhog: Aomical: Two Lefts One Right
│( CH: 1) (CH: 2) (CH:3) (CH:4) (CH:5) (CH:6) (CH:7) (CH:8) (CH:9) (CH:10)
│Aron-14: TBA?

Possible Routes?:
│Solder: 76
│Cole Cassidy

Discontinued Routes / Routes I have been asked to do, but will not:

(Discontinued?) Genji : After much thought I decided against continuing this route. I don't take interest in Genji as much as I did prior and aside from that, I did not like how I continued his route. I haven't fully decided on whether I'm going to continue his route or not, I have mixed emotions over it so for now it's discontinued. I'm sorry everyone! :o(

"Will you be doing any female characters?" : Tl;DR: Possibly. I have heavy mixed emotions when it comes to the female characters of Overwatch as most lack when it comes to backstory and character development. D.va is the highest contenders to be given a route and possible the only female character I would consider doing. The others, well, I personally don't see 'romantic' interactions happening between them, if that makes any sense. It makes such a thing hard to write when it comes to FanFics. Besides, the characters I do enjoy I see partnered up with other characters in canon. Examples: Ana > Reinhardt | Symmetra > Herself (because let's be real no one can make that woman happy)  | Tracer > Emily  : and so on and so forth. So yes, in short I may consider a route for those that could possibly write a route for (D.va, Zarya, maybe Mei) but the chances are, sadly, unlikely. 



Q/A: (Most of these questions are from my Tumblr account!)

Where have you been? / Why does it take so long for you to update? : As I've said before, writing in general is a hobby of mine. I like to keep my online life separate from my personal one. ^^ Though I do appreciate the concerns from my readers, thank you.

What are your pronouns? Name? : I go by he/him pronouns! I prefer to just be called Spotid, but you can also refer to me as Kippie.

I notice your Tumblr is kind of barren, why? : I don't really use my Tumblr for much anymore! I used to be very active on it, but I deleted the majority of my reblogs since they were years old. Many of the artists I used to follow on there no longer have accounts. So I mass deleted all my old reblogs because they made me kinda sad! ^^"

Do you have a twitter? :) : I do, however I use twitter exclusively to post adult content. ^^" I'd prefer you only look at / follow my twitter if you are of age please! <3

Do you only write Overwatch FanFics? : No, actually I've written for a variety of fandoms. I had a handful of very popular Homestuck fanfics that I've orphaned given I've simply moved on from that fandom. I also occasionally writer slasher fanfics, I'm a HUGE fan of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers.


 
Story Related and Non-Story Related Questions| Updated: 12/31/2022

Do you have notes of what's going to happen? Any sort of planned things or do you go with the flow? : Most of the story is planned out for each route I plan to do. I have a written list of plot points that need to be met, but a lot of the time most of the filler stuff I write on the fly as I'm going through the chapter. I try to make each chapter around 10,000 words each without compressing too much of the plot points into each one, but some chapters are shorter for certain plot points (EX: Most chapters that focus on characters aside from the reader). I like to write long chapters instead of short, multiple chapter Fics that have 20+ chapters but only around like 40,000 words. Which is why it takes me a while to put out a chapter!

Will there be any smut in the series? : Short Answer: Yes, there eventually will be smut in this series. Long Answer: Yes, but given this series is more 'plot focused' there's going to be build-up and the smut may or may not be detailed, it'll depend on the flow of the work. If you want a smut-focused Fic for a certain character then I suggest you request it! ^^

What does Aron look like? : Aron is an original character of mine. While he does have a 'set' look, I would rather prefer the readers make up their own depiction of the omnic. I feel it allows the imagination of the individual flow more freely and express their own creative minds. It allows the person to have a deeper connection to the story by doing so.


Other Notes:

Please comment!(;_;)
I love seeing comments and I love reading them but more importantly it really helps when it comes to feedback!
It also keeps me motivated to continue writing because it let's me know people are still interested!

I take suggestions / requests!
If you want something, please just ask! I'm very open to taking one-shot fanfic requests of most pairings and / or reader inserts!

If you have any questions, comments, etc, please leave them on this chapter!
I'll answer most questions I get and I always try to reply to comments! <3

Thank you all so much!

Series this work belongs to: