Do No Harm: An Overwatch Story

Part 2: Flesh Over Metal (Mercy)

I step out of the doors, and into the courtyard, taking in the fresh air. I usually keep to my Infirmary, but today, I need the change of atmosphere. I find Jesse McCree sitting on the steps, watching the new recruits train in the yard, and I sit down next to him. He doesn't say a word, just acknowledges my presence with a tip of his hat and a sideways glance. 

I like McCree. He gets on my nerves admittedly, but he also knows when to be serious, and he doesn't mince his words. He prefers to get straight to the heart of the matter, something I am quite grateful for. And so, here we sit, enjoying each others silent companionship, watching the recruits train with each other. 

I find myself scanning the crowd of agents for a certain familiar face, knowing that he'll be here somewhere. After a moment, I spot him, sparring with a few agents in hand-to-hand combat. Gabriel Reyes. When he asked me to come to Blackwatch with him, I wasn't sure what to make of his request. But after some careful consideration, I decided to take him up on it, and join the secret division, leaving behind Overwatch. I handpicked the doctors who would replace me there, said my goodbyes, and came here. The base layout still throws me off, even after being here for the last 3 months. The layout is set up in a way that mirrors the layout of the Overwatch HQ exactly. I've had more than a few incidents with running head on into things, due to my feet having memorized the layout of the Overwatch base long ago. 

This morning I thought I was walking through the doors of my Infirmary, when it turned out I was walking into Reyes' quarters. I still say that it could have been avoided if he had locked his door, like any rational human being would do. 

My eyes flicker around the training field, catching on this and that, not paying attention to anything in particular. The sound of a dropship catches my attention, and I look up to see it landing just outside the gates of the courtyard. Jesse watches it as it descends, a curious look on his face.

"That's odd." he mutters to himself.

I turn towards him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's odd?" I ask.

He turns to face me, a concerned look on his face.

"Phyre ain't supposed to be back yet." he drawls, concern permeating his whiskey smooth southern accent. 

My eyes turn back to Reyes, who appears to be just as confused by the sudden appearance of the dropship as we are. He starts toward us, worry written plainly across his darkened features. A flicker of movement from across the courtyard catches my eye, and as one, Gabriel, Jesse, and I all look towards the figure slowly entering the courtyard. This must be the man Jesse calls "Phyre". He takes a few steps forward, but he's limping, and the sudden tension in Jesse's muscles tells me that something is horribly wrong. 

Phyre takes another step, and collapses to his knees, and I bolt towards him, Jesse and Reyes just behind me. I reach Phyre first, and my eyes dart over his wounded frame, mentally noting every injury I see. He's bleeding heavily from his chest and shoulder, and bruises paint the left side of his face a deep purple. Jesse and Reyes reach us a half-second later, the shock on their faces clear to see.

"What can we do?" Reyes asks.

"Help me get him to the Infirmary!" I reply.

Jesse hauls Phyre to his feet, ducking under one arm, Reyes slipping under the other. 

They start dragging him through the courtyard, leaving a dark red smear of blood behind them as they go. I run ahead of them, clearing people out of our way, making sure their path is clear. I slam through the doors, locking them open before clearing off the operating table that dominates the room. The boys drag Phyre into the room and hoist him up onto the table, and Jesse shuts the doors behind them, before standing in front of me with a determined expression.

"Where do you need me?" he asks, all business. 

Reyes stands next to him, mirroring the gunslingers look of steadfast resolve. I scoop up a pair of medical scissors, and start cutting away Phyre's shirt.

"Reyes, get me those monitors over there," I say, gesturing to one corner of the room filled with monitors. "Jesse, I need you over here. Grab that gauze, and help me put pressure on this laceration in his chest." 

The boys spring into action the second the words leave my mouth. I turn my attention back to Phyre as a coughing fit racks his injured frame, and he starts spitting up blood. I finish cutting away his shirt, and fling it off to one side. My breath catches at the sight of his arms, and I pause momentarily. Both of his arms are entirely robotic, the skin replaced by smooth metal prosthetics all the way up to the lower half of his shoulders. The right arm is a breathtaking shade of ebony, while the left is a gorgeous ivory. There's no mistaking who's work this is. There's a deep gash on the back of his right shoulder, and dozens of smaller cuts cover his back. But what concerns me the most is the 4-1/2 inch long laceration in his chest, and judging by the wetness of his breath, he has a massive pneumothorax in his right lung. 

I turn to look at Reyes as he arrives with the monitors I had sent him to get, and Jesse starts hooking them up to Phyre.

"He's got blood flooding his right lung. I need to open him up. Jesse, once you're finished there, go find Moira, and bring her back here. Reyes, we don't have time to wait to put him under. This is going hurt like hell, and he's going to thrash around. You have to hold him down, or I'll end up doing more harm than good. And remember, no matter how much he screams to stop, if we don't do this now, he won't survive." 

Reyes nods in understanding as Jesse dashes out of the Infirmary, and moves to Phyre's side, holding him down with a grip of iron.

"Nicky, I know this is gonna hurt man, but I need you to stay still brother, okay?" Reyes says to his wounded friend, Phyre nodding his head in return. 

"Ready?" I ask, scalpel hovering over his chest.

Reyes turns to me, giving me a quick nod, and I force the scalpel down, cutting open Phyre's chest. Phyre screams in pain, but to his credit, manages to keep himself from moving around too much. After a few heartwrenching moments, Phyre finally loses consciousness from the pain, and Reyes moves back to my side to help me. 

Jesse comes running back in with Moira in tow, an alarmed look on her face.

"What happened here?" she asks, rushing over to help me in trying to save Phyre's life.

At that moment, I hear a high pitched droning beep, and whip my head around to see the Cardiac Monitor showing a flatline.

I grab the paddles from a nearby table, and shout "Charge to 200! CLEAR!"

THUMP!

End of Part 2