Marvel Mayhem

Chapter Three: Too Many Secrets

            Ciciley would never have imagined a physical examination would turn into such a spectacle; of course, the type of examination she requested would call for such a show. In the research lab within the Bus, a specialized Boeing C-17 Globemaster III owned and modified by S.H.I.E.L.D. and a flying command center for Agent Phil Coulson and his team of agents, Ciciley found herself engaged in a challenge of endurance with the woman commonly known as "Mindy," or "Subject M1986" to the higher-ups. The two women were tested on their levels of endurance via treadmills. The examiners were S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, two trusted members of Coulson's team that were undoubtedly the "brains" of the group.

            Donned in black yoga pants and sports bras, neither Ciciley nor Mindy broke a sweat or tired in the four hours they ran. This extreme level of durability was the reason Ciciley asked for the examination – to find out how she had gotten to be so "super." Ever since the "Project Geo" incident, she had not once got sick, injured, or even aged in the two years she had been enjoying living a literally rejuvenated life in her twenties again. At first she loved every second of it, being back in the field and assisting her son on his missions (something that aggravated him to no end, especially with the agents unaware of her "miracle" and thinking they were a couple); however, after getting shot during a recent assignment and healing from the wound in a matter of hours, she needed to get answers.  

            She asked for Mindy to be brought in on account of her history of being just as genetically superior as Ciciley had become. There were still many secrets S.H.I.E.L.D. had been attempting to unlock with Mindy since they discovered her; and with Ciciley now on her level, she felt connected to this unsolved mystery.  

            After the first hour of running on the treadmills, it became a competition between the two women to see who could run the fastest, with both eventually reaching the max speed of the machines within the fourth hour. What turned the examination into a spectacle was the audience it garnered from the other members of Coulson's team – Agent Grant Ward, Agent Melinda May, and a genius-level hacker named Skye. They took bets to see whether Ciciley or Mindy would trip first, since there was zero chance of either woman stopping any other way. But there turned out to be another way with the sudden short circuit that slowed the treadmills, ultimately shutting them and the contest down altogether.  

            Ciciley and Mindy slowed and stopped along with their machines. The first thing Skye noticed as their legs stilled was how much they were at ease – not a hint of trembling could have been detected in them. Neither woman was breathing heavy or expressing any other signs of exhaustion, much to Skye's surprise. "Damn. You two are made of something that's as durable as the Energizer Bunny. What that 'something' is, of course, is the question."  

            "And that is why we're doing these tests." Simmons stated, moving to the treadmills to listen to both Ciciley's and Mindy's heartbeats. She put the chest piece firmly in between their breasts. The sound she heard resonating from the earphones surprised her. "Remarkable! Your hearts are beating on average paces! It's as if neither of your hearts has even bothered to recognize the strenuous workout you both just went through! And your breathing is quite normal as well!"  

            "Well, we could've told you all that." Ciciley remarked. "But can you tell us why neither of us are feeling as pooped as we should?"  

            "We're about to find out," said Fitz, who proceeded in scanning both women with a handheld "bio-scan" device that reminded Ciciley a lot of a UV light. The device's functions were connected to the research lab's Holotable.  

            Holographic models of Ciciley and Mindy's biological structures were suddenly projected above the surface of the table, displaying live readouts of their active physiologies. Ciciley grew very curious and even a bit worried upon seeing their organs glowing in a mix of gold and rainbow colors in the projections. "Is...Is all that glowing part of the displays?"