Chapter Text
Genji remembered how he first came to Overwatch.
His refusal to follow his family's orders had cost him an arm and a leg- and nearly his life. But for some reason, fate showed him mercy, sending an angel to rescue him from death's grasp. Back then, he hated the angel. He hated the whole organization, for what they did to him, for turning him into a weapon, for treating him like a shiny new toy to be played around with. And he hated how the angel was the cause of it. If she hadn't brought him back, none of it would've happened. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hate the angel forever. He tried to hate her greeting of ‘how are you feeling today, Genji?’, and the way she spoke against the weapons in his body, and how she smiled softly whenever she saw the sunset, or her beautiful, blue eyes…
There was no possible way he could hate her.
Genji remembered leaving Overwatch. He remembered the look on Angela’s face when he told her. She was upset, he could tell, but she said that if this is what he needed to do, then he should take as long as he wanted. Genji had had just turned away, not wanting to admit that'd he'd miss her.
He remembered when he first started writing to her, how he considered it for the longest time, and how he had the letter written, just not sent. The only reason it ever got to her was because of Zenyatta, who had sent it for him. Genji hadn't expected a response, but was thrilled to get one- not that he'd ever admit it. As he found peace with himself, he found himself writing more, and writing about more personal matters- stories from his past, little details about Nepal, and how he had grown as a person. Genji grew to cherish the bond they had formed, and looked forward the letters.
He remembered the first time Angela signed the letter with ‘love’.
When the recall occurred, he didn't even consider not returning. He bid farewell to his master, and promised to keep in touch. He boarded the first plane out of Nepal, and made his way back to Gibraltar. When he saw Angela, he didn't even hesitate before running towards her, and twirling her around in an embrace long since overdue.
She had saved his life, and allowed him to have a new one. Overwatch had become his family, and he wouldn't of had it without Angela, who did everything to save him. He owed her the world, but he could only watch while they took her away in a Talon truck.
---
It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission. Rumors were floating around, whispering of Talon activity. Angela was only there as a precaution. Tracer was there as well, constantly blinking to and fro, happy to be back in the field.
Genji couldn't help but smile as he watched Lena flit around, though it made him dizzy. He couldn't blame her for being excited; it was just a scouting mission, but it felt great, doing Overwatch things again. He looked to his left, and saw Angela, smiling softly at Lena’s eagerness.
Him and Angela were close, but they hadn’t made anything official. As of then, they were just enjoying each other’s company, happy to be back together, but neither wanting to make the first move. After so long, it seemed right to take things slow. After all, Overwatch came first.
Noticing his stare, Angela turned to him, and opened her mouth to speak. “Her excitement is contagious, isn't it?”
“You could say that again,” Genji replied. “I appreciate more that I know what life's like without it.”
“Yes, but she really shouldn't wear out her Chronal Accelerator like that, she may need it later…” Angela said, smile gone. “I'm aware that this is probably just a nonsense mission, but we have to be cautious.”
Under the mask, Genji smirked. “Even if there is trouble, I'm sure we can take whatever they throw at us.”
Angela sighed. “Confident as always, I see,” she said. “Glad to know you haven't changed.”
“Oi! Would you two stop flirting and start looking for signs of Talon?” Lena chided.
“Don't be jealous,”Genji teased, stepping away from Angela.
“Jealous? When I've got the best girlfriend in the world?” Lena asked, a look of false disgust in her face. “Never!”
“Oh, what a poor girl she is to date you,” Genji jested.
“Well excuse you, Mr. Ninja!” Lena said “I’ll have you know that she loves me very much.”
“Mr. Ninja?” Genji laughed. “I think I like it!” He turned to Angela. “We should make that my code name, yeah?”
Angela rolled her eyes. “No, we should not…”
Her two companions laughed at her response. Lena blinked in between Genji and Angela, and put an arm around each of them. “I missed you guys, you know?” she started. “After Overwatch fell apart, we fell out of touch… but now, the gang’s all back together, and it’s- well, it’s not legal, but it’s great!”
Angela let out a sigh. “I must admit, I had to think about it… Overwatch was shut down for a reason, after all,” she stated. “As long as we try to keep things ethical though, I'll stay.”
“Don't worry love,” Lena said, squeezing Angela’s shoulder. “We all came back with good intentions. No one wants to blow anything up this time!”
Angela smiled ruefully. “Aha, yes…”
“You weren't the only one who hesitated, Angela,” Genji said. “I'm sure there were others who had misgivings as well, after what happened…”
Lena blinked ahead of the two, and looked back at them. “Honestly you two! You make it sound like Overwatch is the worst thing the world has ever produced!” She said. “We did a lot of good! We saved lives, and we can do it again!”
Genji smiled. “Yes, saving lives sounds-”
Bang!
Gunfire rang out without warning. Immediately, Genji readied his shurikens, and looked around for the source of the sound. Next to him, he could hear Lena whipping out her twin pistols, eyes searching in every direction.
Beside them, the angel fell with a shriek of pain.
Genji’s eyes widened. “Angela!” He shouted, rushing towards her.
Bang!
Another gunshot cut him off, forcing him to look up. There! On the beams towards the ceiling, a sniper crouched, a visor over her face. “Tracer, sniper’s up high!” Genji called out. “Angela's hit!”
“I've got the sniper, you get Mercy!” Lena replied, blinking up to meet the sniper.
Genji rushed to Angela, holding her in his arms. His gaze was drawn to the hole in the Valkyrie suit, gleaming scarlet on her neck. “An.. Angela…” he choked out, not believing what he saw. Her breathing was faint, and her face was contorted with pain. If she could've spoken, Genji was sure she would've told him what to do. But she was in too much pain to speak. It was supposed to have been a recon mission- just scouting out the area. How had it gone so wrong? How could he have let this happen to her? “I'm… you're going to be okay, we’ll get you out of here.” He lifted her body in her arms, causing a small sound of pain to come out of her. At least she was alive. But who knew how long that would last?
No one noticed the cloud of shadowy vapor closing in on the cyborg and the angel until it was too late. Reaper materialized behind the duo, aiming a shotgun at Genji’s head.
Genji had only seconds to react when he heard the telltale sound of a bullet being loaded into a chamber. He dived to the side, barely dodging the shot. His mind ran through a list of factors in the situation: the sniper, Tracer, the area, Angela, Angela was shot, she could die-
Bang!
Another shot, this time grazing Genji’s arm, causing him to fumble with Angela. Another gasp of pain escaped the doctor, and her breathing grew harsher. Under his breath, Genji cursed. He couldn't let his thoughts distract him. He had to protect Angela- but he couldn't fight with her in his arms. He skipped away from the Reaper, and lowered Angela onto the floor. Standing in front of her, he drew his sword, ready to fight.
Reaper advanced, firing shots as went. Genji reflected the bullets back at Reaper, who simply leaned to the side. They were at a stalemate. If Reaper fired, the bullets would be reflected. If he got close, Genji could stab him. But if Genji tried to throw shurikens, Reaper could go into wraith form. Through their masks, they watched the other, waiting for any sign of aggression.
Slowly, Reaper advanced, turning into his wraith form as he did. The wait as he floated across the floor was agonizing. Genji stared, concentrating only on the figure in front of him, while the third member of Talon crept up behind him.
“Hey there.”
Instantly, Genji turned around, only to have a shotgun blast hit his lower back. He let out a cry of pain as his sensors flickered, and started to falter. He fell to the floor, and for a moment, his eyes locked with Angela's, who was lying beside him. Their eyes met only for a second.
God, he had failed so bad.
He could only watch as his angel was picked up by the enemy. He barely felt it when Reaper stepped on his back to cross over him. He couldn't hear anything; his ears were ringing. Slowly, his vision started to blur. Angela's form began to fade as a large truck pulled up.
They were going take her away. They were taking her away. Genji mustered up all of his strength, a cry of rage and pain tearing through his throat as he tried to stand. His systems were failing, they needed to be repaired- he didn't care. He took one step, and fell to the ground. The truck accelerated. Weakly, Genji raised his arm, still trying desperately to reach his angel. But she was gone. The truck was getting farther away, until it turned a corner and was out of sight for good.
She was gone.
---
Sterile white walls, an uncomfortable mattress, bright lights, and the steady beeping of machinery. Genji was all too familiar with the medbay, but it felt colder than usual.
After Angela had been taken, Lena found Genji passed out on the floor Widowmaker had been a distraction, but at least Lena had overheard her comm and was aware that Angela had been taken. When they returned, Lena was the one to tell the news. The base was in a frenzy. Genji was just numb.
He had been awake for over an hour at that point, just lying in the bed. McCree had come in to explain the situation, but had left afterwards, a cigarette already in his hand. “Angela always hated it when I smoked in the medbay,” were his parting words.
Since he'd left, Genji had had no other visitors. He understood. Angela was essential to Overwatch; she was the leader of the medical department, and a great scientist. Her technology and skill in the battlefield as a healer would be sorely missed, especially since Talon could turn it against them. But more than anything else, Angela’s presence as a friend would be mourned. Her motherly personality added a bit more sunshine to the base on dreary days, and she was always ready to help anyone who asked. But now she was gone, and there was no one to help her.
What if she was dead? Genji wouldn't even entertain the thought. Besides, Talon had reason to keep her alive. She could be used for ransom, information, revenge… Genji clenched his fist. He had to recover fast. The sooner he got Angela out of there, the better. He couldn't bear to think about the pain she must've been going through. It hurt him deep down, an empty sort of ache in the pit of his stomach that couldn't be filled.
Soundlessly, the door to his room opened, and Lena walked into the room, her usual vigor missing. She offered Genji a weak smile before sitting down in a chair next to him. For a moment, she just sat there, twiddling her thumbs and looking anywhere in the room except at Genji.
Eventually, she let out a deep sigh, and pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. “Genji... I'm so sorry,” she started. “I… I have a personal grudge against Widowmaker, and I wasn't paying attention to anything else. We should've stayed together. I should've stuck with you… but now-”
“It's not your fault,” Genji interrupted. “I should've protected her. I was there, and I got distracted. If anyone is to blame, it's me.”
“Aw, that's not true. You were outnumbered,” Lena said, reaching for his hand.
Genji pulled it away. “That hasn't stopped me before. I could've done something. I should've done something.”
“You didn't know anyone else would be there, you were ambushed!” She said. “It's just like you say- you have to forgive yourself! Sitting around moping will do nothing!”
Silence filled the white room, expanding like a gas until it was stifling. Finally, Genji put his head in his hands and let out a shaky breath. “I know… I know,” he murmured. “I just… I feel like I should've done more. We were so careless…”
“We were excited to be back in the fray, and we made mistakes,” she reasoned. “And it won't happen again.”
Genji nodded. “Never again,” he stated. “When are we going to rescue her?”
Lena glanced to the side, hesitating. “We… we don't know yet,” she said.
Genji paused. Very quietly, he continued. “What?”
Lena frowned. “Genji, think of it this way- Overwatch is just starting back up, we don't have much manpower or resources. Talon has grown into a massive terrorist organization with multiple bases. We can't afford to go around to every base, praying Angela will be there and losing men in a suicide mission,” she reasoned. “Angela wouldn't-”
“After everything she's done for Overwatch, you're giving up on her?” Genji argued, his voice cold. “We need her Lena-”
“We’re not ‘giving up on her’!” She said. “I want to save her as much as you do, but we don't even know where she is! Genji- hey, what are you doing? Genji!”
Genji had stood up out of bed, wires falling out of his limbs as he did so. His sensors flared, and pain wracked his body as he fell to the ground, his inner workings not being used to the lack of support. Lena was by his side instantly, helping him back into the bed.
“Trying to rush off and save her by yourself isn’t going to do anyone any good!” She chided, trying to plug wires back into their sockets. “You’re not well. You took a lot of damage…” She sighed, and combed back her hair with her hand. “But when we rescue her- and we will- it’ll be something we do together as a team. She’ll be okay.”
Genji didn’t respond. Deep down, he knew Lena was right, but it still hurt. He wanted so badly to go out there and find her, and bring her back, and to say sorry. But he couldn’t- not yet. Overwatch needed him there.
Lena reached for him, but withdrew her hand. She looked down, frowning. “Just… just comm me if you need anything, alright?” she said, turning to leave. “I’m really sorry Genji.” She left the room, leaving Genji alone once more.
The silence of the room reminded Genji of his time in Nepal. He and his master would spend hours sitting in silence, meditating. Genji took a deep breath, and tried to clear his head of worry. He couldn’t think straight while he was so upset. If he wanted to save Angela, he needed to calm down.
Empty your mind, he thought. Focus on the task at hand.
As time passed, Genji slipped into an empty state of mind, calming himself. Beneath his mask, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was steady. Once his mind was clear, he began to focus: what could he do- no, they do, he wasn't alone- to save Angela. His mind through possible choices, focusing intensely on the factors of each one, until a beeping from a computer snapped him out of his state of mind.
He looked over to the counter next to the wall, to see a computer with a purple skull flashing on the screen. The computer was emitting a high pitched noise, beeping at even intervals. Genji stared for a moment, confused, before slowly sitting up in bed, his legs over the edge. Gently, he took the wires out of his limbs, and placed his hand against the wall to support him as he stood. He stumbled over to the counter and inspected the computer. He wiggled the mouse, trying to stop the beeping.
Suddenly, the screen went blank, the computer silent. It stayed that way for a moment until purple words began appearing on the screen, being typed there by an outside source.
Do you want to know where Angela is?
Genji froze, rereading the words several times before hesitantly typing out a response.
Yes.
His words appeared in white on the screen. For a moment, there was no response. Then the unknown person began typing again.
I could tell you…
Please do.
The speed which Genji typed his response destroyed any illusion of nonchalance he might've had.
Once again, the stranger took their time responding. Genji pictured them as a hooded figure chuckling at his desperation in a dark room, lit only by the dim glow of computer screens.
Finally, the mystery person’s response appeared.
Alright then. Come to the London airport. The next flight is at 11:45 tonight, there's still seats open. An agent will pick you up there. Come alone, and keep it secret. Trust me, I'll know if you tell. I'll see you later
The conversation lingered on the screen a moment longer before turning off, leaving Genji feeling conflicted. He couldn't do it alone, but it was his only chance. If he didn't go to London, they'd never find Angela, but it was unquestionably suspicious. Would he go?
Slowly, Genji leaned back off of the counter, until he was supporting himself. He paused for a moment, before turning to leave the room, his destination in mind.
He's find her. He'd save her no matter what it took.