" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

v | recognition

yuanfen.
act three, chapter five.
"recognition"

_

A SUDDEN WAVE OF turbulence caused the airship to drop, and Dahlia had to do her best to not think about the fact that she was currently several miles up in the air as her entire compartment shook rapidly. She sucked in a deep breath, clutching the arm of the chair she sat in, and squeezed her eyes shut until the ship settled in the air once again. She could hear the soft whispers of a conversation through the thin door that separated her from the rest of the ship. She was tempted to eavesdrop, for she was certain that her new companions were talking about her. Before she was able to convince herself to do so, however, the whispers died down, and the ship was cast into silence once again.

Through the tiny window beside her seat, Dahlia was able to see the first few stars beginning to appear in the darkening sky. Twinkling lights of a city below mimicked the stars. The setting sun, although hidden on the other side of the airship, created a beautiful canvas of reds and oranges that spread out across the horizon. In the distance, Dahlia noticed the tiny silhouette of a plane flying in the opposite direction.

She had no idea where she was. There were no distinctive landmarks visible from their altitude. The clock on the wall above the sliding door read just past five, though she doubted that the time was accurate. She could only hope that they were taking her far away. She knew that it was inevitable that the Reaper would find their new location- he seemed to know the whereabouts of every former Overwatch agent, although she had no idea how- but the farther away she was from their base, the longer it would take for him and his Assassins to find her.

Dahlia feared death. She knew from the moment that she woke up in the presence of Talon that she would rather spend the rest of her life as one of the Reaper's minions than face the inevitable death that would come with her refusal. The idea of freedom was a nice one, but if it came down to it again, she would return to him as an Assassin if it meant that her life would be spared.

Her gaze shifted towards the photograph that sat on the table in front of her. Her eyes lingered on the youngest girl, who seemed to be staring right back at her with warmth shining in her dark eyes. Her smile was wide, spreading across nearly her entire face. A hand was resting on the little girl's shoulder, belonging to the man who stood tall behind her. They resembled one another, although the child's features were much softer with signs of her innocence still remaining.

Dahlia groaned in frustration, her head spinning as she struggled to recall the time when she had taken the photograph. The little girl was supposedly her, and the man was her father. She stared between the faces, unfamiliar memories swimming through her mind as she did so. She knew these people, yet they were complete strangers at the same time. It angered her that the only person in the photograph that she recognized was Ana Amari, and that was solely because of the weird obsession that the Reaper had with the former Overwatch Captain.

Almost as if one cue, Dahlia flinched as the eerily familiar three words began to echo through her head. All must die. All must die. As she reached up to rub her temples, an aching pain accompanying the chanting of words, she couldn't help but wonder if this was the Reaper's doing. She had no idea what was done to her during the Process. All she knew was that it involved the most intense pain that she had ever felt, and that it left the horrible scars that were now on her temples. He was in her head, she was sure of it. Even though she was far away from the Reaper, she was still held under his suffocating grasp.

Dahlia jumped at the sudden sound of knocking on the thin wooden door of her compartment. She pushed the photograph away from her, thankful that the voices were slowly beginning to fade away as the door slid open. The short-haired girl from earlier, Lena Oxton, peaked her head in. She wore a warm smile on her face, though her eyes betrayed her nervousness.

"May I come in?" She asked, and Dahlia simply nodded. She wasn't keen on having company, for she knew that she needed time to properly process everything before she was thrown into the midst of Overwatch, though the kindness in Lena's voice made it impossible to decline.

Lena sat across from her, and she glanced down at the photograph that sat on the table between them. Dahlia noticed the way she nervously fumbled with her hands. "I know you probably don't remember me," the British girl began. "But I'm Lena. We were pretty close when we were younger."

Dahlia smiled awkwardly, mumbling a soft apology. It was odd that these people knew who she was, yet they were complete strangers to her. For a moment, she was tempted to ask Lena about herself. She couldn't help but feel curious towards the life she supposedly had before Talon, despite her mind warning her against it.

What was I like? Who were my friends? What did I do here?

"Don't worry," Lena's cheerful voice pulled Dahlia from her thoughts, and she looked up to see a cheeky grin spreading across the girl's face. "You'll remember how awesome I am soon enough!" A moment of silence followed her joking words, and the smile slowly slipped from Lena's face. Her eyebrows pulled together thoughtfully. "You don't look much different, you know. I recognized you as soon as I saw you."

"I wish I could say the same," Dahlia murmured with another apologetic smile.

Lena sent her a look of sympathy. "I can't imagine how confused you are, love. It can't be easy learning that all you've known has been a lie."

Dahlia was unsettled by her words. Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she looked away. Lena seemed to sense this. "Don't worry. I promise you'll always have a friend in me, if you'll have me." She reached out to brush her fingers along Dahlia's arm. Dahlia flinched under the contact, pulling away, though she shot the British girl a look of gratitude nonetheless.

'

'

'

About an hour later, the airship touched down at their destination. Dr. Ziegler was waiting for Dahlia as she stepped out of her compartment. Lena and the omnic who had been piloting the plane were nowhere to be seen, probably already outside. Dahlia was curious, and she eagerly followed Dr. Ziegler out of the airship. As she stepped outside, she found herself standing in the middle of a vast courtyard. Bright green grass sprung up beneath her feet, the soft breeze causing the delicate blades to dance around one another. Several tall buildings surrounded the large stretch of grass, each with sleek modern architecture and windows nearly as tall as the walls themselves.

It was so unlike the base occupied by Talon, and she felt almost overwhelmed by the liveliness of the area. To her left, a group dressed in identical orange and gray tracksuits, the familiar Overwatch logo plastered on the sleeve, were running around a dirt track that surrounded the courtyard. Dahlia followed Dr. Ziegler towards the largest of the buildings, and she noticed two figures were waiting for them in front of the doors. As they grew closer, she realized that one of them was a distinguishable ape; the Reaper had mentioned the gorilla scientist from the moon, Winston, countless times, so she recognized him almost immediately. The other, a man dressed in attire similar to that of a cowboy, stood beside Winston with his arms crossed over her chest.

Dahlia didn't miss the way that Winston's shoulder's visibly relaxed as his amber gaze landed on her. A grin spread across his furry face, his sharp canines almost glistening in the moonlight. If it wasn't for the amicable glint in his eyes, he would've seemed extremely intimidating. "Welcome back, Dahlia," he greeted her, his voice deep and gruff. "We've been waiting for you."