The Sweetest Rose-LokixOC

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I found a better reference pic for Cassandra on Google. Image (c) Universal Studios

Ten minutes later Director Fury arrived in the exam room, looking especially grim. "What's so urgent you had to pull me from a conference call, Dr. Novik?"

"This is the reason." The doctor turned Cassandra so the men could study her back. "As you can see the burns have vanished. There is no sign of trauma to the epidermis at all. I haven't checked the burns on her legs yet, but I suspect the story is the same."

Fury was quiet for several moments as he digested the news.

Cassandra shifted uncomfortably beneath their scrutiny, the paper sheet on the exam table crinkling beneath her ass. Her bare legs dangled over the edge, her feet several inches above the ground. She suddenly felt small and vulnerable beneath their probing gazes.

Fueled by confusion and fear, questions sped through her mind. How were her burns healed so quickly? Did this have to do with how she miraculously survived the bombing at the auction house?

The staff rested innocently against a cabinet, providing no answers. She was tempted to grab a hold of it to see if anything happened.

The director broke the silence first. "Dr. Pierce, do you have a tattoo on your back?"

Cassandra frowned uneasily. "No. I don't have any tattoos."

What was he talking about? Fury and Novik exchanged covert glances. Clearing his throat loudly, the director pressed his fingers to his right ear. "Hill, I'm in the infirmary. Send up a team from linguistics."

Linguistics?

Cassandra's imagination ran wild with the possibilities of what might be decorating her back ranging from a labyrinth to a giant eye. She shuddered. God, she hoped that wasn't the case. Wouldn't that be a surprise for the next guy she dated.

Finally, Cassandra couldn't take the suspense anymore. "Alright, that's it! Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Reaching for her new crutches, Cassandra slid down from the exam table and balanced on her good foot. "This is my body, so I deserve some answers."

Fury rubbed his chin consideringly. "Do you have your phone, Novik?" The doctor handed the cell to him. "Turn around for a second please."

Fury snapped a photo of Cassandra's back and passed the phone to her. She stared down at the image, baffled and more than a little afraid. Strange runes and symbols decorated her skin, as if painted with shimmering gold paint. They formed the shape of a large bird in the middle of her back.

It was a beautiful tattoo and if she had actually wanted one, she might have chosen something like this. Since Cassandra hadn't drifted into any tattoo parlors lately the new ink on her back was a problem. "What the hell is this?"

Resting a hand on the stainless-steel counter, Fury frowned. "If I had the answer, I wouldn't have sent for linguistics."

Dr. Novik's glasses slid down his nose. He pushed them back into place. "I would like to take some blood samples and cheek swabs."

Cassandra licked her lips nervously, having the strange feeling she was about to become a lab rat. Fury claimed to be the good guy, but people can claim a lot of things that aren't true.

She was starting to regret her hasty decision to turn Loki's offer of help down. At least when it came to SHIELD they both appeared to be on the same wave-length.

"Dr. Pierce?" The doctor hovered in front of her expectantly, looking disturbingly eager at the thought of jabbing her with needles.

Cassandra crutched away from both men several steps, wary of their motives. If a spy organization wanted to run medical tests on her, she had reason to be worried. "No one is running tests on me. Not today. I want what I was promised, director."