November 15th Tuesday
Genji woke up hearing an alarm going off, It wasn't his phone though it was an alarm clock right next to his bed. He slapped the top of it turning it off, He groaned and attempted to get more sleep before hearing knocking at his door. "Genji! Get up we have to get to school" Ana called. Genji looked at the clock just now realizing the time, "What the hell do you mean! It's only six!" Genji called. "I have to be there early, I'm responsible for opening the doors and turning off security". Genji sighed and slowly arose from his bed, "Hey did you forget I'm missing a leg!" He called out to her. A few seconds of silence came from behind the door, "I'll be right back.".
With a cane in hand, Genji was able to wobble his way to the kitchen island. Sitting down Ana placed a pretty basic meal of toast and eggs in front of him, He didn't complain though, it was the first time in a while his breakfast didn't come from a gas station. He ate the food, clearing the plate. Ana fetched his bag from his room and threw it over her back, "Time to head out" She said, approaching Genji helping him up. She guided him to her car, eventually getting settled, and began the drive.
"At least I won't have to worry about People seeing me like this" Genji commented. Ana raised her eyebrows "Why would people seeing you like this be bad?". Genji thought for a second "You know, being weak and all of that", Ana rolled her eyes "All of you students are too worried about whos stronger, You're still young be kids for christ's sake". Genji stayed quiet, she had a point. "What do you suggest I do?" Genji asked, "Well besides anything with friends, you could work on your reputation" Ana said. Genji nodded "Yeah, I don't have much credibility at the moment". Ana smirked "Well no, you have some, I've heard the theater department likes you". Genji jolted up "Shit! The show is this Friday!" He blurted out, "I almost forgot!".
*
Fareeha pulled into the strip, finding a parking spot near the back. "So what are we doing?" Mei asked, "Just gotta pick up some stuff and we're good to go". The two of them walked through the mall to the back towards a smoke shop, "Hey if they ask you're 21" Fareeha said walking in, startled Mei just nodded and walked behind her. The shop was simple, with two isles of products protected by glass cases. The empty shop was only occupied by one cashier, "Hello Fareeha!" a surprisingly loud voice called. "Hey Jamison, what's up?" She asked, He chuckled "Nothing just the usual chaos and mayhem". His attention turned to Mei, "Hello I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you!" "My names Jamison but all the ladies call me Junkrat". Fareeha leaned over to Mei "Don't listen to him he means well just has some screws loose". Mei nodded "Well I'm Mei, nice to meet you". Fareeha chimed in as soon as Mei finished "Hey could I get my usual?" Fareeha asked. Jamison nodded and went to the backroom for a few seconds before coming back out with a large bag.
The two got back into the car setting the bag in the backseat, "So where do you wanna go?" Fareeha asked. Mei thought for a second "Uh maybe we could just chill at my house?" Mei suggested Fareeha thought for a second "Hm, I have to drop this stuff off, how about my place?" She asked. Mei agreed and the two drove to Fareeha's apartment.
Fareeha let Mei go first in her apartment, letting her take in the room. "Oh it's quite nice" Mei said, Fareeha smiled "Yeah it's not much but I get by" She said setting the bag down on her counter. "What did you get?" Mei asked, Fareeha started pulling out the contents, various Juul and vape products along with a large pack of various snacks which she couldn't recognize. "I usually go to Cole for my stuff but Jamison is a good alternative". Mei went and sat down on the couch, "So what's going on with your girlfriend?" She asked. Fareeha sighed, she thought about what happened and decided it would be for the best if she didn't mention the fight with Genji "Well, I thought she was cheating on me and I blew up on her, but I was wrong." Fareeha said, Mei, nodded as she listened, "Do you think you were in the right for acting out?" Mei asked. Fareeha scoffed "Of course not, it was completely uncalled for on my end" She finished up putting away her stuff and sat down next to her.
"Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with texting her first," Mei said "You've given her some space to think but it's fine to check up with a low-pressure message". Fareeha nodded "Yeah, plus I'm worried. She has a tendency to throw herself into her work.". Fareeha took a puff of her disposable pen, filling the room with a vaguely fruity flavor, "Pretty similar to you, with all of your A.P classes" Mei got flustered, "Oh yeah it get that from my parents". Fareeha leaned back, "oh they must be proud" She commented, "Ah well, they're not around anymore" She replied somberly. "Shit man I'm sorry" Fareeha replied "I didn't mean to make you talk about that", Mei shook her head "Oh it's fine I've come to terms with it a while ago". "When did they pass?" fareeha asked, Mei, took a second "Ah, well. About 20 years ago" Mei responded. Fareeha coughed, choking on the pen's smoke. "Huh?" She replied in confusion.
Mei thought for a second "Well, have you heard about the Antarctica research project incident?" Mei asked, "Uh I heard about it on the news?" Fareeha said attempting to recall information, "Well, I was a part of the team going to study the effects of global warming." Mei began "The system messed up, and all of our communications went down. We were unable to call for help, and a massive storm overcame us." At this point, Mei was starting to seem somber, clearly still upset about the event. "We decided to enter cyro freeze chambers to preserve us until help arrives.". Mei took a deep breath "And I was the only one who survived" Mei said her eyes watering a little. Fareeha put her hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Mei, that's awful" She said comforting her as best as she could. "It's alright!" Mei replied wiping her eyes, "It was hard to adjust to the modern times but I was quick to figure it out" Mei finished, Fareeha nodded "How long were you stuck?" Fareeha asked. Mei responded quickly "40 years just about". Fareehas mouth erupted with smoke as she heard the number mid inhale. "No way!" She exclaimed in between coughs "You were in the 80's?" She asked. Mei nodded "Yeah, it wasn't as exciting as everyone says" She admitted. "That's amazing! But, How did it take 40 years?" Fareeha asked. her coughs slowly getting clearer, "Well, it only took about 10 years to get through, but coming out of cyro sleep was a massive ordeal, if they thawed me too fast I would have died on the spot" as soon as Mei finished her sentence Fareehas phone began ringing, she picked it up and sighed "Damn I got practice in 30" she said. "Oh well I can get an uber home" Mei offered, Fareeha waved the thought away "Nah, why don't you come to practice with me?" Fareeha offered "All the guys bring people so it's not like you'll stick out." She stated. Mei thought for a second "Yeah sure, I have some work I can do while there".
*
The nurse's office was filled with tools and spare parts, Angela and Eric both working on Genji, Angela on his leg, and Eric on his arm. Genji sat, playing on his phone, he was used to it by now, all of the failed attempts at cybernetics made him quite used to the procedure. He pulled up his messages and started to write a text to Brigitte, "Hey, are you going to be at school today?" he asked. The message was sent and was read quickly, but as he waited for a response it became clear she wasn't going to text back. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, "Girl trouble?" Eric asked with a chuckle. Genji shot him a look, "What? Just a shot in the dark." He commented, Before the two could argue Angela stood up "Everything looks good on my end" She said, soon Eric stood up as well, "Same here". Genji took it slow standing up and flexing his metallic arm, the new metal light as ever.
"Feels great" Genji said, Angela nodded with pride, while Eric rubbed his forehead "Good, I didn't get much sleep last night so I was scared I was gonna mess something up". Angela looked over at him "Speaking of which you need to go take a nap", Eric didn't miss a beat grabbing his jacket "Don't have to tell me twice" he said already out the door. Angela took out her tablet from her bag, plugging it into Genji's arm, "Just gotta scan for any issues, and you're good to go". Genji adjusted himself in his seat "Hey, Angela how's Fareeha?" He asked, Angela let out a sigh "we haven't talked" She replied shortly, Genji knew he was touching a nerve but he felt responsible for the whole incident. "Do you think she learned her lesson?" He asked, Anglea groaned "I bet not!" She replied aggravated "She never learned, even when I told her I didn't like the things she did!" Angela growled. Genji nodded trying to be supportive, "Yeah that's awful" he started "But, was it worth ending the relationship?" he asked. Angela sighed "No" She slowly admitted. "Well, I think it's worth it to try again, have a serious conversation, and let her know your boundaries." Angela thought about it for a second, "Yeah, maybe you're right" she responded. The tablet beeped alerting Angela of the completion of the scan. Angela checked over the tablet before giving it an approving smile "You're good to go" She said. Genji grabbed his bag and headed to the door, "Hey Genji, thank you for keeping quiet about me and Fareeha" She said before he opened the door, "No problem." He replied.
The school's lunch bell rang, it had taken Eric and Angela a while to repair him so he had missed his first few classes. He pulled out his phone and shot a text toward Cole. "Hey, can we chat for a second?". After a few minutes, he got a reply, "Sure, I'm in the theater lighting cage. Genji moved through the crowds of students, finally slipping into the auditorium. The lighting cage was adjacent to the theater, up a small ladder into a closed-off room. Genji arrived at the top of the ladder and saw Cole, Juul in hand, seemingly mapping out a pattern for light. "Hey bud what's up." Cole called. Genji took a seat next to him, "Well I plan on striking as soon as the play is over." Genji said. He heard cole sigh, "Are you sure you should still do this?" Cole asked. Genji looked at him in confusion, "What? Yeah of course I should" Genji replied. "Why shouldn't I?", Cole looked baffled by the statement "Bud, you got shredded by someone with their bare hands" Cole replied. Genji shook his head, "Do you think he would have beat me if I wasn't in school?" Cole took a moment "Look fine, but even so if anyone finds out it's you doing this stuff, they're gonna kill you, and they won't fail this time." Genji stood up "I know." He said plainly, "But I won't allow my family to keep doing this". Cole stood up and put a hand on Genjis shoulder, the clash of metal sprang out as he gripped him, "I'll have some stuff ready for you, as soon as the last show is done meet me in the parking lot.". Genji nodded, before looking at Cole's hand. "Cole, your hand," Genji said, realizing the metal sounds came from Cole, not him. "Don't worry about it, focus on yourself for now.".