" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

iv | 2065

IT TOOK SOME TIME, but Dahlia finally managed to convince her father to let her work for Overwatch. He promised to talk to Commander Morrison about setting up an internship, and that was good enough for her. She hugged her father tightly when he said this, something that wasn't a common occurrence. Sam Blackrock was often busy; he spent more time away from the base than on it, so naturally the father and daughter didn't exactly have the closest relationship.

Oh, they loved each other. There was no doubt about that, but it wasn't the affectionate type of love that one would often seem among family members. It was more of a distant love- one that wasn't expressed often, but there was never any doubt that it existed.

When Sam Blackrock was hugged by his daughter, it was an almost painful reminder of why he was doing what he did- why joined Overwatch when the tribe was disbanded, why he kept Dahlia hidden away on the base and away from any danger. He looked down at his daughter, who had her arms wrapped tightly around his torso, and he smiled. He would do anything to protect her, he was sure of that, and he reminded her of that with a whisper in her ear.

What Dahlia didn't realize was that although her father promised to talk to Commander Morrison about an internship, he never once stated that it would be as a field agent. So naturally, when she was told that she would be working as an apprentice under the gorilla scientist known as Winston, she was less than pleased. She had nothing against Winston (although it was quite weird to work for a monkey that was undoubtedly smarter than her) but being cooped up in a lab working on science experiments was the last thing that Dahlia wanted to do. She knew better than to argue with Commander Morrison, however, so she accepted the internship with only slight reluctance.

Still, Dahlia's hesitance to argue with the Strike Commander did not carry over to her father. Whenever Sam Blackrock showed his face on the base (which was slowly becoming a rarer and rarer occurrence) Dahlia made sure to express her unhappiness with her current internship. She pleaded with her father for the opportunity to at least try to train as a field agent, but like Fareeha Amari said years prior, Sam Blackrock was stubborn.

This was several months ago, and Dahlia had no luck when it came to convincing her father. It had been over a month since she had last seen him, so when he returned to the base for just a few days, she knew that she had to take advantage of his presence.

"Why can't I train to be a field agent?" It was a question that Sam heard more times than he could count, so when the words met his ears he could only do nothing but sigh and roll his eyes. He stopped walking, causing his daughter to nearly run into his back, and turned around to face her.

"We've been over this, Flower," he said with a slight impatience to his tone. "I do not want this life for you."

"You should have thought about that before you brought me to be raised here," Dahlia pointed out, pouting. "This is all I know, papa."

Sam sighed, reaching up and scratching the stubble that lined his jaw. "You must realize that there is more to Overwatch than the agents in the field. The scientists and doctors are just as important. Winston will be a good teacher for you. Trust me, you will come to enjoy this, and one day you will thank me."

"One day I will become a field agent," Dahlia protested. She smiled slightly as her father groaned in exasperation. Sam Blackwatch was stubborn, sure, but so was his daughter.

He reached out and rested a hand on Dahlia's shoulder and squeezed it, smiling softly. "Not so long as I'm alive, Flower."