Chapter Text
02/20/2078
Jasm Al Bahr
Recently thawed Mei-Ling Zhou had finally managed to escape the icy-hell that is Antarctica. This brave scientist had been trapped in one of Overwatch’s EcoPoints for nearly a decade, it’s heartbreaking to think about what Overwatch did to help these stranded climatologists. Wouldn’t it have been suspicious that NONE of the scientists were responding or sending updates? Shouldn’t they have been alerted about the power-outage? Did Strike-Commander Jack Morrison purposely let these scientists perish in the freezing cold of Antarctica?
I won’t go on a rant about how awful this was-- It’s not my story to tell. Instead, why not hear it from the survivor herself?
TRANSCRIPT:
Thank you so much for being here today and sharing your story. There is a lot of courage it takes to brave back into the world when all hope is lost and… Really, I applaud you for that. Thank you.
ZHOU: Well, I’m happy to be here.
So, Professor, before I begin the interview what would you like to share about your time on Ecopoint: Antarctica?
ZHOU: Oh! Uhm, we- Er.. My.. Team and I, that is… We had spent time already on the ecopoint to analyze weather patterns, which I don’t need to elaborate on… But, before the storm, I think we had fun. We’d play ping-pong, laugh over dinner which would mostly be cup noodles and we would regularly chat with friends and family via video.
What was the initial cause for the cryofreeze?
ZHOU: The ice-storm made us miss our resupply schedule, so we were meant to go into hibernation until it died down. It took… 9 years. When I woke up, I didn’t even know the other chambers malfunctioned.
Overwatch dissolved around 3 years after your hibernation began. I know that there was some talk from family members being vocal, but ultimately it was deemed “too dangerous” to enter the storm. Do you personally hold Overwatch responsible for the malfunctioning equipment?
ZHOU: Gosh, no! I- Overwatch had state of the art technology. I know that if they had the resources, they would have come for us.
Forgive me if this is too personal, but wouldn’t they have had to check each base— Including Ecopoints— after dissolution?
ZHOU: They are.. Were my family. They wouldn’t have left us behind on purpose.
How did you feel emerging into a new decade? Was it complicated?
ZHOU : I felt so alone after I got out of the base. My only companion was Snowball, here. It helped us around the base and it helped me most of all when I was dealing with the loss of my teammates. I was afraid. But Snowball helped me, and still helps me. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to leave the house without it… I…
Professor, are you ok? Would you like to end the interview?
ZHOU: I’m fine. Really, I.. It’s just hard. It’s hard to imagine that my family- Overwatch- might have actually forgotten us. After I came back in contact with civilization I stayed with my mother and I went into therapy. It was so.. It was so stressful. I left the base full of hope, but it was stressful.
What was it like seeing your family and friends again?
ZHOU: We were all overwhelmed when we saw each other again, [ she laughs a little ] there were a lot of tears going around. I even got to reunite with some former Overwatch scientists. And the support I received from everyone, including from therapy, has been helping me a lot.
Thank you so much for having this interview with me, Professor Zhou. Once again, I admire your bravery and your will to keep fighting for hope.