" YUANFEN " genji shimada.

ix | recollection

yuanfen.
act three, chapter nine.
"recollection"

_

DAHLIA HOPED THAT BY spending the day in the lab with the gorilla scientist named Winston, she would be able to avoid another awkward confrontation with Genji like she had the day before. While the atmosphere in the lab wasn't nearly as welcoming as the medbay, she didn't exactly mind it. Winston was friendly, albeit kind of awkward and, quite honestly, a bit too animalistic for her liking, nonetheless she enjoyed his company.    But it was odd, working with a monkey that was more than likely smarter than anyone else on the base.

    Water splashed up her forearms as Dahlia scrubbed away at a beaker. Two piles of various lab equipment sat on either side of the sink- one dirty and one clean. She wondered how long it had been since Winston had cleaned his equipment, for she had been working tirelessly for nearly an hour and she was certain the dirty pile hadn't grown any smaller. She knew that the scientist had plenty of equipment stored away; the cabinets that lined the wall above her were filled with various beakers, flasks, and test tubes.

    Winston sat across the room from her. He was busying himself by working on a small device that seemed to project some sort of spherical shield, though she caught him looking up towards her several times each minute. It looked as though he wanted to speak to her, his lips parting for a split second before they clamped shut once more and he returned to his work. Finally, after several minutes passed, he cleared his throat and spoke. "You know," he started, a breathy laugh following awkwardly after. "This is just like old times. You were once my apprentice, you know, but I don't think you were too thrilled about it."

    Dahlia sent him a small smile, but she was unsure as to how to respond. "I wish I could reminisce on the past with you, but I can't," she reminded him with an apologetic shrug.

    "I know," Winston said and sighed. He set down the device that he was working on, leaning back into his chair and running a furry hand down his face. "I've always been told that one of my many flaws is my tendency to grow too nostalgic. That, and apparently I slurp too loudly whenever I eat peanut butter." His words caused Dahlia to laugh a bit, which brought a brief smile onto his own features before it disappeared once again. "I'm sorry."

    "Don't apologize," Dahlia said. Over the past few days that she was in the presence of Overwatch, the guilt towards her obliviousness regarding her past had only grown. She wished that she could remember the memories that these agents were telling her; she could only pray that they were real. "I only wish I could remember."

    "We will figure out a way to get your memories back," Winston vowed, but it sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as much as her. She wished that she could believe him, but she had a hard time doing so. Whatever the Reaper did to her, whatever happened during the Process, it seemed like it was permanent.

    "Do you..." Dahlia paused, pursing her lips. She stared down at the flask that she held under the running water. It had filled up, the water pouring over the edge and soaking her hands, but she didn't move it. "Am I safe here?"

    "What?" Winston blinked, taken aback by her question. "Of course you are. You needn't worry."

    Dahlia shook her head, returning to her work. She poured the water out of the flask, gliding the sponge over the crystalline surface a few times before placing it beside the other clean equipment. "I never got to say thank you. You know, for taking me away from the Reaper. I know it must be hard to have a killer living with you, but... He was going to kill me."

    Winston didn't respond right away. He seemed unsettled by her words. Perhaps he didn't think about the fact that she had killed numerous of his former teammates. Their blood was on her hands, and they were housing her as if she was innocent. Would they still keep her around if they were reminded of the monster she truly was?

    "It was Genji's doing," the ape finally said, causing her to tense at the mention of the ninja. The events of the day before replayed freshly in her mind, and she found herself scowling at the thought. "You should be thanking him."

    "No, thank you," Dahlia grumbled to herself. Genji intrigued her, yet irked her in ways that she never knew were possible. She was grateful to him, there was no doubt about that, but his cocky attitude made it difficult for her to want to express that in fear of boosting his already-inflated ego. She was convinced that because she chose to spare his life, he believed that she wanted him around. But that wasn't the case. The less she had to interact with him, the better.

    The pair fell into silence. Winston returned to tweaking with his device while Dahlia continued washing the equipment. The sound of water running and the occasional thoughtful grunt coming from the ape were the only sounds in the room, allowing her mind to run rampant.

    Once again reminded of her time with the Reaper, and the blood that was on her hands because of the things he made her do, Dahlia realized with a shudder that the Reaper somehow knew the locations of all the former Overwatch agents. She knew that it was likely that he was aware of their current location, as well, and this terrified her. What if he was watching her now? What if he was just waiting for the perfect time to strike and get her back. She thought back to the dream she had, where Genji had taken her back to the Reaper against her will. Any one of these agents could be an Assassin in disguise, and she suddenly felt sick as she realized that her dream could very well come true.

    A test tube clattered against the chrome lining of the sink as a sudden chorus of voices echoed through her head. She reached up to clutch her temples subconsciously, eyes squeezing shut as she tried to block them out.

    "All must die. All must die."

    She opened her eyes and glanced towards Winston. The ape was deep in thought whilst working on his experiment, a furry hand stroking his chin as his eyebrows furrowed together. Dahlia hissed as her temples burned, the pain traveling down her spine and causing her to twitch involuntarily. She felt her hand moving towards the pile of clean equipment, fingers wrapping around a glistening scalpel. She felt the sudden urge to kill, her vision blurring as she focused on nothing else but the gorilla scientist across the room. She took one step towards him, waited, then took another. He didn't look up from his work, far too focused to notice her approaching him. Dahlia gripped the scalpel so tight that her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

    "All must die. All must die."

    The voices grew louder with each step she took. All must die, she knew that. She knew that she must finish the Reaper's work. Then, suddenly, her vision cleared as a loud crash echoed through the room. She blinked, shaking her head wildly, and immediately the voices and the pain disappeared. Winston was sprawled out on the floor several feet from the desk where he was working. The shield-like device that he had been working on now displayed a bright red X and was beeping loudly. The monkey grunted in frustration, moving towards his desk in one swift motion.

    "Damn!"

    Dahlia shivered, suddenly feeling cold, and set the scalpel back down on the counter. She shot the ape a small smile as she forced the thoughts to the back of her mind. "Better luck next time," she said to him.