Chronal Disassociation Ch. 49

The more they ran, the more that Lena could spot Omnic bodies lying motionless on the ground. Some had holes in their torsos, others lacked torsos to begin with. All of them bore the mark of Archer shooting them down, one way or the other.

Despite it all, Lena and Sombra continued to run - more like hobble - their way across the field with their patient. Distant gunshots continued to pepper along the way, thankfully not where they were going. The sooner that they could make it to Angela, the better.

Speaking of their patient, Captain Amari was looking even worse off now. It had only been a couple of minutes since they started walking, but already, the movement and irritation to the already profusely bleeding eye was staggering. While the colours were muted due to the invisibility field, Lena could still spot the signs that she was not long for this world if they didn’t make it in time.

The blood on her hands felt colder the moment she realized that.

A single blinding shot was speared across the sky, impacting an invisible dropship mid-air. Instantly, the field dropped, revealing a purple-toned ship that now had a massive hole in the middle. Another shot, from Archer no doubt, this one aiming for one of the lev rims struggling to keep the ship in the sky.

An explosion rocked the sky, forcing Sombra and Lena to rush to cover. Thankfully, no debris fell on them, with most of the ship tilting and crashing away from the rest of the area.

“Dios mio, guapo’s not holding back, is he?” Sombra laughed out, though it was noticeably strained than her normal tone, “I did not expect getting involved in a shitshow like this for a rescue mission, you know?”

“Welcome to the club.” Similarly, Lena had to give a forced laugh, if only to distract herself from the feeling of blood still trying to pout out of the captain’s ruined eye. She sobered up quickly as another dropship was hit by Archer’s arrows, “How much further do we need to go?”

“Should be the next block over, if we’re fast, we can make it there in less than five minutes.”

“Le-”

A blur of silver in front of her. Instincts screamed as she dove to the ground, covering Captain Amari’s body with her own from whatever was there. Sombra shouted what was clearly a string of Spanish curses, pulling out her submachine gun as she did so.

“Reveal yourself, assassin.”

The pilot’s eyes widened as a familiar, robotic voice sounded out. The hacker let out a frustrated groan as she shifted out of invisibility, rubbing her eyes, “¡Ay, cabrón! ¡No me asustes así! What the hell, Shimada?”

“Sombra?” Genji, who had drawn his sword and pointed it at the woman in question, quickly sheathed it, “Ah, apologies. I thought I heard someone talking and I assumed it was one of the Talon Omnics. Though, I suppose with Archer’s work, I shouldn’t have to worry too much about that.”

“Wait, before that, we need to get the captain to Angela!” The invisibility field slowly faded as Lena spoke, her body still tense from the sudden confrontation. Genji tilted his head, an act he usually did to convey his confusion since his features couldn’t be seen behind his helmet.

“Lena? What a-” The cyborg cut himself off as the invisibility faded fully. His stance, which had begun to relax in the face of his squadmates, instantly shifted. In one fluid motion, he knelt down as a compartment opened up on his fully cybernetic arm. A small canister with glowing yellow fluid, shaped like a grenade.

Genji quickly ripped open the canister, before ushering Lena to move her hand. With a moment of hesitation, she did so.

“This is a bio-grenade made by Angela.” The cyborg answered the unasked question, even as he slowly poured the contents of the grenade onto the captain, “It contains a dose of the healing nanomachines that she uses. It’s only a prototype for now, and she asked me to keep it with me in case I needed to use it.”

As the fluid poured, Lena could see the same tinge that would often come out of Angela’s staff. In a matter of moments, the three of them could see the wound heal up and close. Unfortunately, it seemed even that was not enough. Though the wound was no longer bleeding profusely, the captain was still suffering from blood loss. If they didn’t get her help, then she would still be dead before any of them could do anything.

“Lena, you’re faster than me.” Genji, in the middle of pouring, said to her, “You know where Angela is, yes? Then go ahead and contact her, tell her to prep the medbay. Myself and Sombra can carry the captain once I’ve finished triage.”

The cyborg was calm, far calmer than Lena or Sombra were. Perhaps it was due to his past with Blackwatch and the operations he ran. Perhaps he was just as panicked at seeing their commanding officer’s eye just gone.

It didn’t matter. She just appreciated that someone managed to help them.

“Right!” With a jump, she was back on her feet, the chronal accelerator whirring up in the process. Sombra whistled to her, before tossing a small holopad that had a map displayed. Lena caught it, nodding towards the hacker with a determined, if grim, smile, "I’ll get her ready! Just hurry!"

With a final, worried glance at Captain Amari, Lena vanished in a streak of blue light. Blinking across the street, the world blurred into streaks of colour and fragmented sound. She was pushing herself, she knew that. The alarm from Archer that she suddenly felt through the thread connecting them was more than evidence enough.

She didn't care. She wouldn't let the captain die. Not when she had the ability to save her.

She materialized abruptly just outside a reinforced roll-up door, stumbling slightly as she decelerated. With a grunt of effort, Lena knelt down and lifted up the door. With a breath, she rolled through the small opening, stopping with her face right in front of a haggard looking Angela pointing a pistol right at her.

"Lena!" Angela put down her pistol with a gasp of relief, "Mein Gott, don't do that!"

Angela's relief was instantly replaced by sharp, professional focus as she took in Lena's heaving breaths, the pallor of her face, and the stark, drying blood coating her hands and forearms, "Lena! What happened? Where are the others?"

Lena gasped, leaning against the cool metal wall for support. "Captain Amari... Genji and Sombra, bringing her...eye...bad...really bad." The words tumbled out between ragged breaths. "Genji used...one of your bio-grenades...stopped the worst bleeding...but she's lost so much blood, Angie!" Her eyes, wide with residual panic and exhaustion, locked onto Angela's, "Genji said to prep the medbay!"

Angela didn't waste a second. "Scheiße!" She spun, her movements a blur of practiced efficiency despite the weariness etched around her eyes. A large medical kit snapped open on the central table. She grabbed a sterile drape, spreading it swiftly, "Lena, help me! Clear those crates! Move the nanite infuser next to the table, plug it into the suit!"

Suddenly, as if the fog in her head cleared up, Lena could see just where she was.

A makeshift triage zone, lit by the flickering glow of Angela’s Valkyrie suit. The suit’s wings were partially unfurled, not for flight, but humming with strain, thick cables snaking from its base to power the infuser, a few portable lamps, and a vital signs monitor perched precariously on another crate. The air hung thick with the coppery tang of blood, antiseptic, and the ozone smell of overtaxed technology. Even the infuser that Angela told her to plug in was none other than the staff that Angela used, dismantled and reassembled with area of effect in mind.

Several medics that came with the first wave of responders were going around the room, trying to treat those that needed treating, while more were tasked with fetching whatever they needed from the various boxes of supplies that they had probably gotten from the ambulances. Even more people, those that were relatively fine, were on their phones, either trying to call, or in the case of the reporters, recording themselves for some god-forsaken reason.

The scene hit Lena like a physical blow.

The same scene, only in the past. Back in London. Back during the first time Null Sector attacked.

"Angela, there's..." Lena stammered, overwhelmed. This wasn't the sterile medbay she'd imagined. This was a bomb shelter turned blood bank.

"There's no room? There's never enough room!" Angela snapped, her voice frayed at the edges. She pointed a gloved finger, slick with someone else’s blood, at a small, relatively clear space near the humming nanite infuser, "Clear that! Now! Move the coolant tanks!

Lena jolted back into action. They needed to do this, otherwise, there was no chance that the captain would live through the day. Was it selfish to think like that? When more people were still suffering? Maybe.

“Oh for- Oxton, if I have to hear your self-hate for another minute, I’m personally going to tell your wife.”

‘Archer!’ Lena felt both embarrassed and relieved that the Spirit replied, ‘Is everything alright?!’

“It will be, once I can actually focus and not listen to your whining!”

‘But-’

“Deal with your conscience later, when there aren’t lives on the line. If you have time to think, then you have time to do. Now, quiet, this thing is annoying to see and I can’t hear it when you’re yapping in my ear.”

Lena stayed quiet this time, even as she realized what the other man was doing. She’ll deal with her thoughts later. Always later. Never now. She-

Lena stopped herself. If she continued that train of thought, nothing would be done. Instead, she focused on shoving the tanks and crates Angela had pointed out, dragged them aside, clearing a narrow path to the infuser just as the roll-up door rattled again.

"¡Ábrelo! ¡Rápido! She's fading!" Sombra’s voice was raw.

Angela hit the open switch. Genji crouched low, Captain Amari in his arms. Terrifyingly pale, limp, though with some of the blood cleaned up. Sombra scrambled in, her face grim, immediately turning to help guide the captain through. The solidified yellow nanite liquid pulsed weakly over the ruined eye socket, but the blood soaking her uniform was alarmingly dark and extensive. Her skin was waxen, her breathing shallow gasps.

"Here! On the drape!" Angela commanded, already pulling fresh gloves over her already stained ones. Lena rushed to help Genji and Sombra lower Captain Amari onto the sterile field beside the infuser.

Angela snatched the portable scanner Lena had been told to grab earlier, its beam sweeping Ana. The readout was grim: critical hypovolemic shock, BP plummeting, heart rate thready and erratic. "Confirmed. Genji, keep her airway open! Sombra, hold her still! Lena, the second synth-blood pack, spike it and connect it to the auxiliary line on the infuser, now!"

Angela worked with desperate speed. Collectively, they ignored the sound of explosions in the background. The doctor tore open the captain’s jacket and shirt around the shoulder, revealing the extent of the blood saturation. Finding a vein in the collapsing vessel was near-impossible. Lena fumbled with the blood pack, her blood-slick fingers struggling with the sterile port. She finally got it connected just as Angela managed to thread a needle into a fragile vein.

"Flow wide open!" Angela ordered, opening the clamp on the first line already feeding into Captain Amari's other arm. The synthetic blood, unnervingly bright red, began pumping in. She grabbed the line Lena offered and expertly connected it, doubling the flow.

The Valkyrie suit’s wings flickered violently, dimming the lights for a heart-stopping second. A medic nearby cursed as their portable lamp went dark, yelling out in accented English, "Doctor Ziegler, the suit’s overloading! We’re losing power to the sterilizers!"

"Prioritize the infuser and monitors!" Angela barked, not looking up from their commander's face. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

"Prioritize the infuser and monitors!" Angela barked, not looking up from the captain’s face. Sweat beaded on her forehead, "Genji, hand me the high-concentration nanite vial from the blue case! Lena, get me sterile gauze and saline, lots of it! We need to clean this wound site before the bio-gel degrades!"

Lena lunged for the supplies Angela indicated, shoving past a dazed civilian clutching a bleeding arm. As she grabbed the gauze and a bottle of saline, a reporter, phone held high, stepped into her path, "Excuse me! Overwatch operative? Can you comment on the status of Captain Amari? Is Null Sector responsible for this attack?"

Lena saw red, "Get out of the way!" She snarled, shoving past the startled reporter, nearly knocking the phone from their hand. She skidded back to Angela’s side, thrusting the supplies forward.

Angela barely acknowledged her. She was carefully peeling back the edge of the nanite gel seal over the eye socket. Beneath, the raw, mangled tissue glistened in the flickering light.

"Saline flush. Now. Gently." Lena poured, the clear liquid washing away clotted blood and debris, revealing the horrific damage in stark detail. Angela winced, her own face pale. "Scheiße...bone fragments...optic nerve shredded..." She grabbed the high-concentration nanite vial Genji handed her, attaching a fine applicator tip, "This is going to be rough. Genji, Sombra, hold her tightly. Lena, keep flushing."

Angela began meticulously injecting the concentrated nanites directly into the ravaged socket. Captain Amari, even unconscious, jerked violently, a guttural moan escaping her lips. Sombra tightened her grip, muttering curses in Spanish. Genji held her head immobile, his green optics fixed on Angela’s work.

“If you’re not comfortable with this, I’d suggest you look away now.” Even Angela sounded somewhat disturbed as she motioned for Lena to pass her a pair of forceps, “There is debris inside the socket that flushing won’t do to remove. I’ll have to pull it out if we want to heal it.” She spoke as if she were trying to convince herself more than anyone.

Sombra looked green as she turned her face to the side, decidedly not watching. Genji didn’t comment, only nodding. Lena joined Sombra in looking away, before Angela told her to also help in holding down the patient in place. There was a lot she could stomach, but this was beyond that.

They all felt the moment Angela started to do whatever it was as Captain Amari’s body jerked violently, still unconscious. Guttural moans of pain. The three of them coordinated together to keep her as still as possible, though it was incredibly difficult. For such a relatively small woman, the captain was still strong enough to contend against the likes of Commanders Morrison and Reyes for a reason.

The Valkyrie suit flickered again, deeper and longer this time. The nanite infuser stuttered, its hum dropping to a whine before surging back as Angela diverted more suit power to it, sacrificing light elsewhere.

Lena’s hands trembled as she listened to the groans of pain from the captain. There was a difference between helping someone get medical treatment and actually doing the process herself. Right now, right here, the captain's life was in their hands, quite literally. If she failed now-

She wouldn't.

Lena steeled her face.

She refused to fail here.

Time seemed to stretch and warp, measured only by the weakened pulse and the strained glow of Angela’s wings.

Finally after an intense hour of meticulous cleaning, Angela sat back slightly, breathing hard. A new layer of glowing nanite gel, thicker and more active, pulsed within the socket, containing the damage. The synth-blood packs were nearly empty, but the scanner showed Ana’s blood pressure slowly, agonizingly, creeping up from critical levels. Her breathing, while shallow, was less ragged.

"Stabilized...for now." Angela rasped.

Lena’s body took those words to heart, it seemed, as she fell back onto the floor in exhaustion. She could feel her eyes droop down in exhaustion

…

A/N: I feel like this chapter somehow became an episode on House or something.