Save Him One More Time: Phase 3

Chapter 1- Escape

Dr. Angela Ziegler. Once-renowned surgeon, former medic of Overwatch. Inventor and developer of the Caduceus technology. She'd helped to build a cybernetic body for a dying man. In short, she knew her stuff. And she knew it well.

After the dissolution of Overwatch by the UN, she'd gone to many locations where the fiercest battles had been fought, offering her skills to help the people get back on their feet. She'd been welcomed with open arms most of the time, except for a few places that had only heard of Overwatch's fall and not its missions.

And now she was being hunted. By someone, or something, that would kill to find her - had killed to find her. She had to leave, if everyone else at the medical camp were to live when the Reaper found them.

"Abhaya?" Angela called to her coworker, poking her head in the tent the team used as an office.
"Yeah, Ang?" Abhaya stood up, walking around the makeshift desk. "What's up? You look tired."
Angela walked in.
"Listen, I have to leave as soon as I can. Are there any important procedures I'm scheduled for over the next three weeks?"
"Leave? Why? What for? You can't just leave us all here!" Abhaya pulled out a folder, flipping through it. "You've got seven. Three major surgeries and four reconstructions." She looked up. "That's not counting all the other miscellaneous, minor, surgeries and palate reconstructions and your healing everyone's injuries. Angela, what's wrong? Why are you leaving? Where will you go?" Angela sighed.
"I don't know. I don't know where I'll go. But I have to leave." A tear ran down her cheek and she swiped it away quickly. "My past is coming back to haunt me. I can't stay here without endangering all of you." She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I'll take care of the important procedures on my schedule and then I'll get my things and go. I don't want any of you dying because of me." Abhaya came forward and wrapped her arms around Angela, tears running down her own face. "We'll be sad to see you go, Angela. You've done so much here already, it just won't be the same without you." She let go and smiled. "I'll notify the patients scheduled for major surgeries and recons. Who's top of the list?" Angela checked, noting with surprise a name she recognised.
"Fareeha...Amari? Reconstruction. Apparently she was caught in some crossfire and got hit pretty bad. Amari," she repeated to herself. The past had really come back to haunt her. Hadn't Ana had a daughter? She couldn't remember the name, but Fareeha sounded pretty familiar. Amari, though, there was no denying she was at least related somehow to Ana.
"...Angela?" Abhaya waved her hand in front of Angela's eyes. "Earth to Ziegler, hello?" Angela shook her head. "Sorry. The name is one I remember from a long time ago. I knew an Amari almost eight years ago, can't help but wonder if this is the same one." Abhaya frowned. "The past is really coming back to haunt you today, isn't it?"
Angela nodded. "Get her ready, I'm going to get my things ready. She's in the ward, isn't she?" The ward being a few tents set aside for patients in need of serious attention or waiting to recover enough to need only periodical checkups. Abhaya nodded. "I'll have her ready in twenty minutes. Do you want her already sedated or do you want to sedate her yourself?" Angela shook her head. "I'll sedate her. I find it's always better if the patient knows who's operating."

She replaced each instrument in the case, freshly sterilised and ready for use. Reconstruction. This was always a touchy procedure, and more than once she'd had a patient reject the stem cells and had to resort to nanotech. She didn't like doing that, it was better to use live tissues than robotics, but she doubted she'd have to use tech much for this one. Amaris were tough. She rolled her shoulders, grabbed an IV bag of anaesthesia, and made her way to the surgery tent.

"Fareeha?" She walked in and stopped. She could have sworn that Ana had aged backwards a few years.
"Doctor." Fareeha propped herself up on one arm, offering the other hand. Angela set her case down and shook hands.
"I'm Angela Ziegler. I'll be taking care of your procedure today."
Fareeha raised her eyebrows. "Mercy? From Overwatch?" Angela nodded. "Yes." She smiled, pulling on a pair of gloves. "I see you've heard of me."
"Heard of you?" Fareeha laid back on the table. "Mom told me you saved her life on more than one occasion. She was always saying you were a godsend."
Angela prepared the anaesthesia. "So you're Ana's daughter? I knew she had family, she'd go home for a couple of months every year to be with them. I suppose that was you and your father?" Fareeha shook her head. "Just me. I stayed with my grandparents most of the time." Angela inserted the IV. "You can't be very old then?" Fareeha shook her head. "Twenty-one on..." Her eyes closed and Angela laid out her instruments.