Chapter Text
Chhhsk!
A glass beaker shattered against the ground, but the King did not flinch. It had been a year since he and Dr. Junkenstein had reconciled their differences; the King realized that he had been abusing the good Doctor’s talents, and Jamison realized….well, he realized he might have gone a bit overboard. And while the rest of Aldersbrunn may not have accepted him back, Reinhardt was a just king, and had made an extravagant effort to spend more time with the doctor and repair the mess that he had helped create.
Speaking of creations… Reinhardt’s eyes drifted to the corner, over Junkenstein throwing a tantrum with barely a glance. In the year they had become almost friends, the king had seen more than his fair share of the doctor’s mental breaks. This was a smaller one, and Reinhardt knew that it would not last much longer. His weathered gaze landed on the object of his search: Junkenstein’s monster.
The creature had left the town after a bit of a rampage, and it was soon after that Jamison and Reinhardt had resolved to fix what they had broken. It was a little more than a month later that the king was coming over for the doctor’s newest creation, but instead he walked in on the monster and the doctor…having tea.
"Wot? He won’t hurt no body anymore. Says its all outta his system, yknow?"
"Jun-…Jamison. Are you sure?"
"Of course I’m sure! ‘ave I ever been wrong before? Don’t answer that. Hog here won’t hurt a fly."
The monster grunted in response, seeming to like his name.
King Reinhardt sighed as another unidentified scientific object whistled past his head, turning his grey eyes towards the mad doctor. Jamison was gripping his prematurely whitened hair, grinding his teeth together and glancing down at a disarray of messy notes.
"Was there a…reason, that you called me, Doctor?" he asked blandly, hands clasped behind his back as he waited for the reason he had to leave his family at this obscure hour. He had passed more than one creeping creature in the woods, and he wasn’t quite looking forward to his return journey. The sooner this was resolved, the sooner he can be off to his castle again.
The doctor’s eyes snapped up to the king, wild and wide and covered in something that Reinhardt would rather not think of what it could be. After a few moments, Jamison regained his composure and straightened his posture, leaning on his good leg. He used to have a better peg leg on the right side, but after his aborted revenge attempt, he hadn’t had the time or heart to bother remaking it.
"Yes, well," he began, clearing his throat and trying to look professional as well, mirroring the kings pose. This made the king roll his eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "As you can see, my laboratory and consequently the rest of my tower has become a bit…disorganized." Frankenhog snorted in the corner, causing Jamison to turn a scowl in his direction before continuing. "I need another set of hands to help me out around here." The king blinked, perplexed.
"What about him?" he asked innocently, pointing at the creature watching them from the other side of the room, arms crossed and eyes narrowed…he thinks. Jamison let out a cackle, and then cut it off flatly.
"I need someone who knows what they’re doing," he sneered, quickly waving a no offense gesture at the creature. He didn’t seem phased. "Someone smart, scientifically. Of course you’ll never find anyone as smart as me, but they don’t ‘ave to be. Just enough to understand my work and keep it organized, yknow?"
Jamison smiled, too widely, and the king felt a chill run up his spine, clearing his throat before saying, "Ah, I am not sure how I will find…I mean, certainly you are aware that no one in Aldersbrunn…" Will be within a thousand feet of you, he finished mentally, hoping it wouldn’t have to be said aloud.
"…is nearly smart enough to work with me, I know that much," he said with a wave of his hand, walking over towards Frankenhog, who the king just realized had a crumpled piece of paper in his large hands. The doctor took it from him with a smaller, more honest smile, and hobbled back over towards the king. Leaning in excitedly, he unfurled the paper, shoving it up to brush the king’s beard.
"Here!" He said triumphantly, as if it made all things clear. The King squinted, moving his head back a little and trying to make the strange symbols make sense. But even at a distance, he realized it was a language he didn’t know how to translate. Chinese? But there was a picture of a bunch of scientists, mostly males with one lone female, and the king had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.
Frustrated by his silence, Junkenstein growled and threw down the paper onto the table, picking up a small scalpel he had lying around. "Get me a scientist, Reinhardt," Jamison said slowly, flipping the scalpel over in his fingers with a level of skill that the king almost forgot he possessed. After all, the man may have been mad, but he was still incredibly brilliant. "Get me one, before I decide that living here is a bit….uncomfortable."
The mad doctor spiked the scalpel down suddenly, smiling and cackling as it impaled the picture, straight through the smiling face of the girl.
Mei-Ling Zhou sat in her apartment, staring morosely at the boxes piled up around her. The professors at her school had come to her raving of a marvelous opportunity to aide a brilliant scientist as his intern in Germany, but she knew it was mostly a lie. They and the rest of the boys in her class had been trying to get her out of their school since the moment she got in, ranked number one. This was just an all too convenient excuse for her to finally leave.
Sighing softly, she took one last walk around the area. Most of her things would go into storage, until a time she decided where she wanted to go next. Other things, like all the materials from her personal laboratory, would go to the school. All she would bring was a box she could carry in her two hands, and another large sack carried by her pet bot Snowball.
The little omnic popped up next to her then, chirping and snuggling against her face until she smiled. Snowball was actually the reason she was noticed by the school, making the little one as an assistant and, though she didn’t realize it at the time, as a friend. Then she blew them away in testing and knowledge, and before long she was enjoying a full ride. Now, however, the memory left a bitter taste in her mouth. More than four years here spent learning, and just as long spent alone. It was almost a freeing feeling knowing that she was going somewhere entirely new, somewhere that maybe people would like her.
But she shouldn’t keep her hopes up. She didn’t know much about this scientist she was supposed to be studying under, but she did know that most scientists worked alone. For him to need an intern, and to request one from so very far away, meant that he probably didn’t have a whole lot of people around him, either.
Well, Mei thought to herself sarcastically, maybe we can be alone together. She laughed then, but the noise was hollow, and it caused Snowball to move closer to her again. Sighing, she brought the little robot close and leaned her forehead against the cold metal. "At least I have you," she murmured, causing the creature to make a happy noise in response.
Straightening up, she glanced around the apartment one last time, shouldering her satchel full of science and tying the large sack to Snowball’s back hook. Lifting the box into her arms, she kicked the door open, and walked out without looking back.
The road driven by the cab to the ship port was long and winding, and it gave her plenty of time to think. She didn’t want to think about the school, and she certainly didn’t want to think about where she was going. She thought about her family, and how much she was going to miss them, but ultimately, she began to think about science. It always came back to science.
Recently she had been working on a climate control device. It wouldn’t work on a whole city, but she was attempting to have it work in a smaller area before increasing the size. It would be incredible to have a wintery snow day in the middle of summer, or a nice rain if there’s been a drought. Before she knew it, she had half the plans sketched out in her mind, and the cab pulled up to the seaside.
It wasn’t difficult for her to check in her bag and box, keeping her satchel close with Snowball nestled inside. She didn’t know how people would react to a woman scientist so far from home, and she would rather not have anyone try to assault her or steal her tech. Her hand patted the little bag on her right hip, confirming the small endothermic blaster was still tucked inside. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it, but better safe than sorry.
She found her bunk without much difficulty, climbing up into it and pulling the curtain closed and securing the corners with the small clasps attached. It wouldn’t keep anyone out if they wanted to come in, but she appreciated the small sense of privacy. Tucking her satchel into the cubby hole, she yawned and spread out in the tiny space. It would be a very long ride, and she wanted to be rested up in case she was put right to work. Setting Snowball to defense mode and plugging it into a charger on the wall, she snuggled into the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
Snowball’s chirping woke her up hours later, and she blinked, reaching around blindly to put her glasses on and get herself set up. The little omnic helped her gather her things, and she ran up to the top deck. It was still early, and they weren’t quite there just yet, but if she peered off the side and squinted just a little bit, she could see the dark expanse of their landing place. Mei did a little hop in place out of excitement, lifting her bag for Snowball to look out as well.
"We’re almost there, Snowball," she said softly, hugging her bag close. Even though the circumstances of her leaving weren’t entirely up to her, she couldn’t suppress a shiver of anticipation. This was new and exciting, and she could make first impressions all over again. Not even the heavy grey cloud cover could dampen her mood.
A little while later and she was disembarking, hefting her bag in her arms and tying the larger sack back to her companion. She found the cab lot, glancing around for a sign that would take her to her new home. Glancing at the small paper, she frowned, not seeing the same name reflected anywhere around her. Going up to an associate, she tugged on her sleeve, showing them the name of the town. The man’s face fell, and with a frown he pointed across the lot. She turned expectantly, but felt herself shrink at what she saw.
At the far end of a lot was a broken sign that read Aldersbrunn, and under it a lone dark cab with a bored driver leaning against the hub. It wasn’t like the other spaces, where people were lining up and waiting for cabs to return. It looks like this cab hasn’t even been used in a long time. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, she walked across the lot with an air of confidence she didn’t really feel.
"Um, excuse me," Mei started, trying to get the attention of the shorter man in front of her. He looked up from under his hat, a scowl seen through his thick golden beard. "I h-have to get to Aldersbrunn, can you…can you take me?" The man peered at her, narrowing his eyes and glancing around before leaning in conspiratorially. Mei leaned forward too, a small frown on her face.
"Why are ye going there, lass?" the man asked, voice low and sounding almost concerned. "Do ye know what kind o’ place that there village is?" Mei shook her head, taking a step back when the man made a harrumph noise, and she was startled to see that one of his hands was replaced by a strange clamp.
"Don’t even know what happened up there," he mumbled to himself, before shaking his head and extending the clamp. "Well, might be better to learn fer y’self. Call me Torbjorn, or Torb fer short." Mei gently took the strange contraption and shook it, giving him a weak smile.
"Thank you, I’m Mei-Ling Zhou," she replied, holding her box a little closer to keep it from slipping. Torbjorn noticed her grip failing and quickly slammed his clamp down on the car, causing Mei to jump and the trunk to pop open. He lifted the box from her arms with his good hand, and loaded it up. Snowball followed and the man helped put the bag in, side eyeing the creature but not making a comment.
"Oh, thank you so much!" Mei said again, hopping a little. It was a habit she inherited from her grandparents. Torbjorn nodded and got in the drivers seat, kicking across the row to open the side door for her. She sat inside and buckled up, glancing back at the boat and settling Snowball in her lap. Hopefully the drive wasn’t too far.
The vehicle started up and immediately turned into a dense forest, blocking out the weak light that already had trouble filtering through the clouds. Mei pulled Snowball closer to herself, glancing out at the trees whizzing by. After she thought she saw something move just a few more times than she was comfortable with, she decided to focus on Snowball’s screen instead.
"So," Torbjorn began, steering the little car expertly and keeping his attention forward. "What’s a little girl like you doing out here?" Mei glanced at him, then back down.
"I was recruited by the King as an intern for a local scientist," she said as vaguely as she could, rubbing at a small scuff mark on Snowball’s head. She felt the air get thick and Torbjorn’s driving slowed, and she kept her attention trained down. She didn’t want to see if he was looking at her.
"A scientist, eh?" he said, his voice low and distrusting. "Which one?" Mei felt like there was only one answer to this question, and they both knew as much. She debated for a moment if she would be able to find her way if he kicks her out or changes his mind, but she thought this man was kind enough to at least get her somewhere safe to continue the journey on her own.
"Dr. Jamison Junkenstein."
Torbjorn hit the breaks, and Mei flailed to hold on to Snowball. "Damn it," he exclaimed, turning to face her, face a mix of terror and concern. "Why are ye goin to work for that crazy maniac?!" Mei worried that they should at least pull off the road, but she had a feeling not many other people would be driving it tonight.
"I was hired by the King," she repeated, though hired probably wasn’t the correct term to use. "He told me the professor was in need of an assistant to help him organize his laboratory." She frowned as she was interrupted by a bark of sarcastic laughter.
"Professor?" he echoed, laughing harder before cutting off abruptly. "Listen, lass, this mad doctor is no professor. He uses his science for dark purposes." The girl swallowed, hugging her companion closer to her chest.
"Dark?" she asked nervously, glancing out at the woods and hoping whatever she had seen earlier wasn’t anywhere near them. "W-what do you mean, d-dark?" Torbjorn looked at her with his eyes narrowed, a haunted look in them.
"Tales say he created an army of zombie robots to extract his revenge on the King," he began, glancing around as if someone could overhear. "If it weren’t for these four heroes the King called, he would’ve killed em all. Heard he made one other creature that wasn’t a robot at all. Heard he made a monster. Lass, you should run for the hills while you still can. I don’t right know what the King could be doing with the mad doctor, but if you value your life, you should turn around right now."
Mei blinked a few times, her heart sinking to the bottom of her stomach. Then she steeled herself, squaring her shoulders and taking advantage of her few inches of height above the driver. "Thank you for your kind warning, Torbjorn. However, I am a woman of science, and I will not be deterred by tales and rumors. Until I see for myself just what is going on, I will not flee, I will not hide, and I will not back down."
Torbjorn gave her a long look before sighing, shaking his head and starting up the car again. "Yer a brave lass," he murmured, and the two of them lapsed into silence for the rest of the ride.
It was a bit of time later when they approached a large gate, situated outside what she could only assume is Aldersbrunn. Before she could ask where to go, Torbjorn stated, "Now, this here is as far as I’m willing to go. The doctor’s tower is about half a mile that-a-way." He pointed to the side of the town, where there was a withered path that lead through the woods. She could see far on the other side the top of a tower, and a single light shining like a beacon in the darkness.
Unpacking her things, she thanked him one more time before turning towards the woods. "Just you and me again, Snowball," she said softly, the little omnic snuggling up next to her as she tied on her sack. "Make sure to stay close."
Thankfully, the walk through the woods hadn’t taken nearly as long as the previous drive, and even more luckily, nothing strange happened while she walked through. There were noises, and she was sure she felt breath on the back of her neck at one point, but that was all. When she emerged from the dark trees, she sighed in relief, staring up at the tower looming above her.
It was tall and thin, and definitely crooked, and yet it seemed like it had no trouble standing all on its lonesome. There were extra rooms around the base of the tower, but besides that there were only other floors in the tower itself. And, as she had noticed before her trek began, there was a warm light coming out of the very top, as if a fireplace or candle was burning.
Maybe he won’t be so bad, she thought to herself, shifting her box in her arms as she moved towards the door. Not seeing a doorbell or a knocker of any kind, she kicked the door a few times, hearing the dull thud echo through the tower. After a few moments of a nerve inducing silence, she heard a strange stepping noise coming towards the door. Step thud. Step thud. Step thud. Snowball made a small noise and moved behind her, and Mei wished she could do the same. Suddenly the door opened, and standing in front of her was Doctor Jamison Junkenstein himself.
The man, similar to his tower, was tall and thin, and a bit crooked as well, though not as much as the tower. His white hair stuck out in all directions, and some of it definitely looked singed. His eyes peered out at her through his goggles, and she could tell from the face she could see that he was not as old as his hair indicated. His body was covered in a doctor’s suit and gloves, all except his one leg – or, lack thereof. All that was there was a stubby wooden peg, scratched and scarred and looking ready to splinter.
"Whatta y’want?" the man growled, eyes narrowing through blue lenses. Mei blinked, having to look slightly up at him, though she was sure it would be more if he wasn’t hunched over.
"I’m M-m-Mei-Ling Zhou," she began, suddenly remembering the paper in her satchel. "I’m a scientist from Xi'an, China. I was called here by King Rienhardt Wilhelm to-" The doctor jumped up, a wild grin stretching across his face, and cut her off.
"Ah! Old Whinehardt actually found me someone, eh?" he jeered, lifting up his goggles to reveal golden eyes beneath. None too politely he began looking her up and down, nodding as if he was pleased with what he saw. Though she could have been reading that wrong, since he continued, "You ain’t much, but you’ll do. Better than ol Hog does anyway. Y’can just-" he cut off, seeing Snowball over her shoulder, who had just mustered up enough courage to make itself seen.
"Wot the bloody hell is that." He asked flatly, jabbing a rubber gloved finger towards her little friend. Snowball shied backwards, hiding behind her again, and Mei felt some of her nerves melt away.
"That’s Snowball, my assistant," she stated clearly. She was going to continue but Junkenstein cut her off.
"No, no, no," he cried, stomping forward and attempting to swat at the thing. "No bloody bots that I don’t make are gonna be stayin in my here castle. Take it apart." Mei gasped, grabbing her friend and pulling it close to her.
"Excuse me?" she asked, turning a cold gaze on him. "This is my companion and my omnic, and my assistant. I made it myself, and it’s been with me much longer than I’ve been with you. So if you aren’t going to let Snowball in, then you will just have to find another intern."
Junkenstein started at her, mouth slightly agape, and Mei felt like no one had ever really spoken to him that way before. Still, she held herself up and didn’t look away, because this was one thing that she refused to budge on. She would rather live in the woods than give up on her only friend. Junkenstein looked like he was about to say something, closed his mouth, opened it again, and then shook his head.
"Bah! Fine, see if I care," he growled, waving his hands and turning around. Mei thought for a moment that he was dismissing her, as if this really was the breaking point already, when he turned his head and jerked it inside the castle. "Y’comin, Snowflake?"
Mei nodded, coming inside with Snowball close behind. She could feel the heavy doors slam shut behind her, and she wondered when the next time she would be outside of them would come. As she followed the doctor through twisting corridors with rooms on each side, she had a shiver run across her spine, and wondered for a moment if someone could be watching them.
Junkenstein turned a corner and began descending a set of stairs, spiraling into the ground, and Mei could only guess at how deep. They reached the bottom and Junkenstein flipped a switch, illuminating his laboratory with light. Mei’s box fell from her hands, landing less than gently on the hard ground below. A gasp passed her lips as she looked around at the incredible space around her.
The lab was gigantic, and she supposed since it was underground it could stretch on and on beyond what she could see. There were tables everywhere, different halls to different rooms, things all over the walls with no rhyme or reason. It was chaotic and beautiful and she desperately wanted to organize everything before it got lost, because she could almost feel the scientific discoveries hiding within. Snowball hovered by, humming happily at it’s creator’s joy.
"Oh, this is…amazing," she breathed, cupping her cheeks in her hands and jumping happily in place. Junkenstein looked confused, watching her as if she were the crazy one. "Oh, there’s just so many things here, and so much room! You could do almost anything here!" The doctor rubbed the back of his neck as she continued, then hobbled his way over to a plain looking door.
"Yea yea," he muttered, seemingly flustered by the adoration in her eyes, even if it wasn’t directed at himself. "Yer room is right in ‘ere," he said, kicking open the door with his bum leg. The door creaked loudly and dust spilled out, but Mei eagerly moved forward to see inside.
It wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Sure, it was dusty from misuse: it seemed like he had cleared out whatever it was used for in a hurry, and set up a ramshackle room. There was a sink and toilet in one corner, with a little wall separating it from a simple dresser and single bed. There were some threadbare blankets and a pillow, and she even had a small window at the top that could probably bring in some light, if the sun ever came out. Taking a step in, she sneezed, and Snowball chirped a bless you.
"Gesundheit," the doctor replied, hands behind his back as he stepped out of the room. She turned to follow him, but he put out a hand, leaving her confused.
"Nah, y’can stay here fer now," he instructed, reaching over to a table and handing her some rags tied together in such a way that they could probably be considered to resemble a feather duster. "Clean up an’ get settled. Y’can come up fer breakfast an’ then I’ll show you wot you’ll be doin’." Mei nodded, watching as Snowball pushed in the box she had dropped. The doctor turned and began walking towards the staircase, and Mei called out after him, "Thank you, professor!"
Junkenstein halted at the name, turning his head towards her, before muttering and shaking it off. She smiled at his retreating form, going back into her new room and shutting the door behind her. There was a small lamp on the wall without a lightshade, and she flicked it on, taking a look around her tiny abode.
Definitely not what she had before, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. She quickly dusted off as much as she could, cleaned out the dresser, and put away her things before getting ready for bed. Despite sleeping on the boat, she found herself exhausted from the trip, and was looking forward to what the next day might bring. Gathering her toiletries, she went over to the sink, peering at her jagged reflection in the broken mirror above.
"Hm…" she thought to herself, tilting her head until she found enough of an unbroken piece to see her reflection. Her face was tired, but there was a glow of excitement. Though that could have been whatever was splattered on the mirror. After she was all ready and in her favorite pajamas, she pulled a soft bundle delicately out of the bottom of the sack that had held her clothing. Unfurling the blanket, she laid it on the bed and smiled.
It was handmade, a dual effort from her mother and grandmother. It was a soft powder blue with purple accents, and glittering snowflakes scattered across the expanse. Embroidered in the corner is a small peach symbol, which she knew was her Grandmother’s favorite fruit, and some curling writing that states 所以你永远不会忘记你是谁.
"So that you’ll never forget who you are," Mei read, a tear escaping down her cheek before she could stop it. Rubbing it off before it made itself known, she lifted the blanket and snuggled under it, breathing in the warm scent of home. Snowball settled into it’s charging port that she had placed right on the bed next to her, and it made a soft noise before going into sleep mode.
"Goodnight, Snowball," she said, kissing the robot’s head gently before laying back down. "Tomorrow we begin our new journey." Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling, wondering just what kind of mystical and strange things would greet her in the morning.