I Forgive You

Part 13

That long wait you guys have been suffering. It must've been torture.

Again, very sorry for the delay. Manhandling life and resolving writer's block issues at the same time. Trust me, those two things don't do well together on anybody. This chapter ain't much but it is something.
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(Genji's POV)

Attention all operatives, this is an emergency announcement. Dr. Angela Ziegler has exited from safety perimeters. Nearby operatives are required to relocate the objective into the respected perimeter.

The metallic voice of Athena caught in my hearing senses in the nick of time. The announcement was a bit sudden, but I managed to catch her sentences by the time she said it was an emergency, but it wasn't the kind that I was expecting.

I stood up from the edge of the container as I turned to look at the headquarters behind me. Brigitte was taken aback at first, but when she finally get to digest Athena's warning, she eventually mimicked my actions as we exchanged looks. Both of us had the same unspoken question lingered in our minds,

What was she thinking?

Both of us quickly went down from the container in frivolous manner. I darted across the field towards the entrance of HQ, while Brigitte followed me from behind. I turned to look at her, hoping that she wouldn't mind that I would catch up with the doctor firsthand. Brigitte looked through my visor, and without a second thought, she nodded at me.

"Go. I'll follow you, don't worry."

I acknowledged with a nod. After her 'permission', I ran through the entrance without looking back. The thought of Dr. Ziegler was the only thing that bothered my mind right now. I could only imagine the worst at the moment. That frail body of hers, still weak and fragile, I couldn't unsee a horrible imagination lingered right in front of my sight if anything happens to her at this second.

How can she even walk in that kind of state? Why was she doing this? What tripped her mind to get up and walk away from her room?

Why was she being so stubborn?

"Genji, you're almost near, just keep going." the sudden buzz came from my 'earpiece' caught my attention as Winston spoke through it.

"How near?" I asked.

"Nearer than any of us. You've got to stop her!" he warned.

"She won't be that far, not with that condition, she won't." I tried to reassure both of us.

"But still, try to be cautious if she tries anything."

"Understood." With that, the comms disconnected. I continued to sprint towards the corridor where the rooms were, and by the judge of where I am, it was close. I was confident that she couldn't be that far with that state of her, she couldn't even get pass the door.

I would've let my fingers crossed if I wasn't running. All I hoped for was to see Dr. Ziegler was unharmed, nothing else mattered at this point. The options that I had was to find myself a doctor that is still standing on her two feet, struggling her way out of the safety of her room; or rather seeing her on the floor, fallen and possessed by gravity and weakened strength.

I hoped to see the latter.

The moment of truth came when I got pass the corner, seeing the connected hallway further away at my left that lead through the rooms, including hers. I couldn't see her because of the wall still blocking my view, and I didn't hear anything peculiar out in the open to know that she was okay.

My heart raced inside my chest, blood coursing vigorously through my veins
as I hoped for the worst. My paced quickened as I dashed towards the connected hallway-corridor where she would be, my senses heightened with my visor glowed neon green with full alert. There, I reached at the room area.

It was none that I hoped for.

She was gone. Like thin air. The door of her room was left agape with no one to keep it warm, there was no frail doctor walking in the area, nor was she fallen unconscious. She was just...

...gone.

My heart skipped a beat until it stopped completely. I felt like my blood suddenly ran cold, and I was about to pass out, or maybe fall into panic mode. I couldn't breathe properly, suddenly the place felt stuffy despite me being the only one there, and that was not a good sign in the first place.

My sight deliriously lingered around the place, hoping that I might've overlooked her someplace else, but no results. I checked near her room door closely for clues, because that was the best bet I had right now. How could she be gone? It is completely impossible for her to walk so fast with that condition of hers.

I turned on the comm to get in touch with the others, and I started to speak.

"She's gone. Winston, do you have the coordinates of her whereabouts now?" after I finished my sentence, the line was bombarded with disbelief and panicked tones from each and every member until Winston cut them off with a calm manner.

"Everybody, stay calm! Are you sure Genji? 'Cuz the sensors says that you're already there." his words baffled me, then I replied.

"What kind of sensors are you using on us, Winston?" I crouched down on one knee to the floor near the entrance door of her room, looking at anything that doesn't belong that might be lying on the floor.

"A basic chip installed on your person actually, I might not have checked using the heat sensors, Athena's still having problems after the Talon raid happened more than a week ago had messed with some of her systems." he responded.

As he said that, my visor somehow managed to spot a certain small object all shimmered under the white light far off a few meters away from her door, as I carefully picked it up to inspect it further. Obviously, I now actually knew what it was.

"Looks like our smart doctor knew your trick, Professor Winston."

"Ugh." he groaned. I could feel his discontent from all this, and I would understand his disappointment.

"Do not worry, Winston. She couldn't be that far. Surprisingly with her speed on such condition, I assure any of us that she didn't leave the facility. For now, all of us must be on high alert."

"Aye-aye."

"Copy that."

"Affirmative."

"Alright, now all of us should work together. Our top priority is to find Dr. Ziegler, and get her to safety. Got it?" Winston spoke, and all of them agreed.

The comms were turned off, and I looked to my fingers where I was holding a small contraption which seemed to be Winston's 'tracking chip' device which she removed it from herself. The question that was playing in everyone's mind right now is,

Where would she be right now?