#mriting

She coughed and hacked, choking on her food. “Just a sec,” she sputtered.

“Are you okay,” Winston asked worriedly.

“I think I just swallowed a whole ravioli. Oh god!” Beth was mostly laughing at this point and Winston was shaking his head in amusement.

“Guess I caught you at a bad time,” he said rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, Winston, no! Not at all. I’m just super coordinated,” Bethany giggled once she had recovered. “I’m so glad you called! And so quickly! It’s wonderful to see you.”

She had her hands poised over her heart and a sappy look smattered over her features. Winston hadn’t smiled this wide in years. “It’s good to see you, too.”

“And look at you,” she beamed, scooting closer to her screen, “you haven’t aged a day since I last saw you!”

“You have,” he laughed, then quickly realized how rude that must have sounded. “But in a good way.”

Bethany waved dismissively. “We were at very different stages in our bodily development at thirteen, Winston. No offense taken.” She sounded a bit like Dr. Winston.

“We really were just thirteen, weren’t we,” he remembered, somewhat amazed.

“Little more than a couple of whippersnappers,” she smirked.

He snorted in response, “It’s been a very long time since anyone called me that.”

“Uncle Harry?”

“Yeah. Why ‘whippersnappers’ was his word of choice, I’ll never know.”

“No kidding,” Bethany murmured. “You like the picture I sent?”

Winston laughed, glancing at the newly printed photo taped to his monitor. “I love it! Although, I have to admit I’m a little embarrassed to see my hair like that.”

“Whaaat,” she scoffed playfully, “you had the best mohawk ever Winny!”

“Don’t lie to me, Bethy,” he chided her sarcastically.

The two of them shared a moment of quiet reflection, lost in their own thoughts. When Winston looked back up, Beth was wiping tears from her cheeks.

“You alright, Bethany?”

She sniffled and nodded. “I’ll be fine. Feeling a little . . . I don’t know. Guess I just miss him.”

“I do too, I do too, but it’s nice to have someone to talk to about him. No one else knew him like we did,” Winston sighed.

“I know exactly what you mean,” she agreed. “Now I only wish I had contacted you sooner.”

“You’re not the only one who could have called,” he replied. “I’m sorry I never had the courage.”

“At least you called tonight,” Bethany said, leaning on her propped up arm, “for his birthday. I was going to make that Oreo cake he liked, but in the end, I didn’t have the heart.”

“I remember him talking about that, but the lunar base never had the right stuff. Suppose Oreos weren’t high on the priority list up there.”

“Should have been,” Beth joked half-heartedly. “What I wouldn’t give to share one last meal with him.”

Her voice hitched and she failed to stifle a small sob, turning away in embarrassment. “Oh Bethany,” Winston said softly, throat tight. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Winny,” she assured him, “you don’t have to apologize.”

That wasn’t true. There was plenty of blame on Winston’s shoulders, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell his old friend that story. Not now. Not when she had so much sorrow weighing down on her already. “What can I do for you, Beth? I know I’m not Harold but . . . I’m still here for you if you need me – even if I should have been here sooner.”

She took a deep breath and gave a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry about it, Winston. We both had our own lives and our own reasons for keeping to ourselves. I’m not mad or anything, honest. It’s just been a rough couple of weeks for me, and I’m feeling particularly alone right now, but I’ll be alright.”

Winston frowned. “Alone?” Beth nodded. “Don’t you have anyone else to call up? Some friends or other family?”

“Not really,” she shrugged, looking sheepish. “I don’t know how much Uncle Harry told you about my mom – his sister – but she has never been the most stable woman. Right now she’s in jail. Again.”

“Oh,” was all Winston could find to say, wriggling uncomfortably. He’d heard stories like this before, but it was different coming from his childhood friend. “Harold never mentioned anything like that.”

“Mom’s always been a mess, and our relationship has never been good for me,” she grumbled. “It’s been years since I last saw her. I’ve met a lot of other good people, though. Mentors and professors, friends and colleagues. Unfortunately, none of them are willing to stand by me at the moment.”

“Why is that,” Winston asked, anger furrowing his brow.

“I pissed off Vishkar,” she hissed bluntly.

“Vishkar,” he repeated incredulously, “you got on Vishkar’s bad side?”

She chuckled rather mischievously. “Yup. Maybe not my smartest move, but it was the right thing to do.”

“How did you mange that?”

“Well,” she explained, a proud little smirk on her face, “I’ve been working for a private research company for the past few years and was assigned to a string of so-called ‘accidents,’ ‘beneficial trading,’ and ‘small inconsistencies.’ Really suspicious, but carefully manufactured bullshit. Everything benefitted Vishkar – no one could deny it, but I just couldn’t convince anyone to take a stand with me. There was too much fear, too much blackmail, and too many bribes. In the end, I pushed the limits too far and got busted. I was fired, and most everyone I knew took a few steps back so they didn’t lose their jobs, too. Really makes you question what ‘friend’ means,” she mumbled.

“Sounds like you were in the right,” Winston said with a firm nod. “I think you should be proud of yourself, even if things didn’t pan out. At least you stood up for the truth, even when no one else did. That’s very admirable.”

Beth brushed the stray hair from her face and smiled. “Thanks, Winston. That means a lot coming from Mr. Overwatch himself.”

He huffed and shook his head furiously. “I am not Mr. Overwatch! That was Jack, through and through. Now it’s more like – “ Winston barely shut his mouth in time, but Beth wasn’t fooled.

“What’s that,” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Nothing.”

“Sounded like you were going to say someone else is the new face of Overwatch.”

“Nope.”

“You’re up to something, aren’t you, Winny?” Her grin made it seem as if she could see right into Winston’s mind.

“No,” he protested stunningly unconvincingly.

“Uh-huh,” she said doubtfully. “Whatever you say. But, just for the record, if you know who’s responsible for the sudden appearance of hopeful headlines and the whispered rumors of a group of people who are standing up for what’s right, tell them thanks for me. I think that’s exactly what the world needs right now. Hope and heroes.”

Winston chuckled, as an idea slowly creeping up into his head. “You know, some people would say what you did was pretty heroic, standing up to one of the most powerful organizations in the world like that.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said surprised. “I’m just a researcher – I don’t save lives or fight criminals like you do.”

“It’s not the physical fights that made Overwatch a force for good, Bethany, but all the fighting we did for the causes we believed in. We fought in the lab for climate change, in the streets marching for social justice, and in schools to promote understanding for the future. You’re definitely a hero, Beth, I have no doubt of that.”

“Aw, Winny, you’re going get me all teary-eyed again,” she teased gently.

“Would a job offer make you feel better,” he hinted.

She reeled and nearly knocked over her dinner, quickly steadying the bowl. “Job offer? Are you serious? But what about the Vishkar thing? Or, you know, my actual qualifications?”

“I can’t guarantee anything,” Winston clarified, “but I’d like to look into it. I’m already well aware that Vikshar is trouble, but trouble is nothing new to me. As far as your education and employment history go . . . Well, I may have been checking up on you over the years. And I did a little research before I called you today.”

Bethany burst out laughing. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me? Should I be worried?”

“No, please! Don’t be worried! I was only – ”

“I’m kidding, Winton, I’m kidding! God knows I Googled you about a hundred times over the years.”

“Really?”

“Winston, you’re the guy who took down Doomfist and saved a woman traveling through time – yeah I read up on you! Although, even if you weren’t doing all that, I still would have tried to see what you were up to. You were my best friend, after all.”

“You were mine too, Bethy-Boo, which is why I should warn you: the work I’m doing isn’t safe, or even legal, but I know it needs to be done. If you want to join me, I would love to have you, but if you want to play it safe, I completely understand. This life isn’t for everyone.”

She did hesitate, but not for long. “When I was little, all I ever wanted to do was follow in my uncle’s footsteps, but that didn’t pan out. I’m just not as smart as he was, but I still tried. Eventually, I found out I did my best work behind a computer and in the library, but I was still disappointed in myself. If I couldn’t be a scientist like Uncle Harold, then I had to find some other way to live up to his example. So, I tried to be as good as a person as he was and it was . . . fulfilling. I felt like I was doing something right. Then Vikshar came along and destroyed my work and made me feel utterly defeated.” She gave Winston a firm look. “I don’t want that stupid company to think that’s just okay, that they can stomp all over people like that – not to mention all the other terrible things I’d been researching. I want to help people again, Winny, I want to make a difference, risks be damned.”

“That,” Winston said with a grin, “was a wonderful entrance interview.”

She snorted and shook her head. “I would have put on something other than sweats if I had known this is how this conversation was going to play out.

“Meh, you look professional enough to me,” he said leaning back in his seat. “If you’re serious about joining up with us, we can go over all the details any time you like, but if you want to think about things a while, that’s understandable.”

“I am very serious, I promise, although I feel like I should clarify – we are talking about me joining the reforming Overwatch, yes?”

“Yes,” he nodded, “I will now admit that is what I’m doing here.”

“Then of course, I’m in! One hundred percent!” She looked giddy. “I’m dreadfully tired of sitting in this apartment not knowing what to do next. If you have a place for me and a use for my skills, I’m more than ready to pack up.”

“How would you feel about coming to Gibraltar,” Winston said excitedly, “meeting the rest of the team?”

“Buddy, I can be packed and out the door in two hours if you want me to be.”

“Two hours?”

Bethany scowled. “I don’t have a whole lot left here. When I was fired, my company stole almost everything I owned, saying it ‘contained sensitive and confidential information. I’m sure Vishkar put them up to it just to mess with me,” she seethed.

“That’s awful,” Winston frowned. “Are you safe where you are?”

“Um,” she said looking around, “hopefully? But the sooner I get out of this town, the better, I imagine.”

“Can you afford a plane ticket to the area? I will send someone to pick you up from the nearest airport if you’re able to swing it.” He began typing on his keyboard, looking up flights and wondering if he should send Tracer or McCree to fetch Bethany.

“Winny,” she almost whispered and the scientist instantly turned back to her. “Is this really happening? You really think I can help you and Overwatch?”

“Bethy,” he said in his most kind tone, “before I called you I stumbled across one of your papers from when you were in grad school, and it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. You have a remarkable insight into the motivations and thought processes of both omnics and people, your research in through and creative, and the conclusions you draw are simultaneously logical and profound. There is no one here who does the work you do, and it is incredibly valuable work. I have nothing but the utmost faith in you. And I think you’ll like it here! You definitely won’t be feeling alone as often, I can tell you that much, but if you’re getting worried we can – “

“I still want to come,” Bethany chirped, waving her hands as if to brush away any doubts. “This is just a lot to process. But I’m excited! I’ll buy a ticket and keep you in the loop, how does that sound?”

“Perfect,” Winston replied in his booming laugh. “This is going to be great!”

His old friend was grinning ear to ear as they swapped personal information and comm links. They were about to say goodbye when Bethany stopped Winston.

“Hey, Winny? One last thing.”

“Yes?”

She adjusted her glasses one more time and flashed a pearly smile. “Thank you for this. I’ve been in a serious funk, but seeing you and talking about my uncle helped immensely.”

“I’m happy we finally talked again, too,” he agreed. “I missed you. Luckily, seems like you and I are going to be seeing each other plenty now.”

“I think Uncle Harry would have liked that.”

“Bethany, you know he would have been so proud of you, right? He talked about you all the time up there, and he loved you so much,” Winston replied earnestly.

“I – I’ve always hoped he would be,” she murmured, “but it’s nice to hear someone say it out loud. He’d be proud of you too, Winny. He always was. Always.”