Pierce

True grit

The first syringe held a viscous purple, almost black fluid. It brought no pain, but I remained tense, waiting for a delayed reaction. The second was a small amount, maybe three cc of a powder blue concoction.  Then a rust colored, followed by a green, then white formula. The last was a clear liquid with a strange rainbowish effect in the artificial light, like oil on wet pavement. The syringe was full. I looked up at Dr. Chevick in anticipation. He nodded, confirming my suspicions. This was going to hurt. It wasn't instantaneous.  He completed the injection and gently massaged the injection site, watching me closely for any sign of discomfort. I waited. Then I felt it. It started as a slight warmth in my arm. My fingers began to tingle. I could feel it in my viens, coursing through my body. The warmth spread, not unpleasant in the least. My feet and other hand began to tingle as well. But the warmth grew. Within seconds I felt like a furnace.

"Kathryn, how do you feel?" I looked up at Chevick in confusion. He carefully removed the bit from my mouth, looking confused himself.

"I-I don't know. I feel... hot. And my feet and hands feel like they fell asleep. They tingle." I winced as a white hot pain flashed up my spine making me jerk hard against the restraints. Dr. Chevick quickly thrust the bit back in my mouth, just as another flash of heat lanced up my legs. I whimpered as wave after wave of pain washed over me. It was like drowning in a boiling sea. It felt like molten metal was replacing my blood. I felt it in my very bones. I bit hard into the leather bit, clenching my fists and jerking my head back. Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, but didn't fall. A strangled cry escaped past the bit. I found myself praying to pass out or die. Just to make the pain stop. Then it changed. The pain didn't abate, but it changed. It grew in intensity, from flame to inferno status. My muscles felt as though they were peeled from the bone, fiber by fiber. It started in my legs, moving up my hips and rear, up my torso and back, through my arms and up my neck. A piercing scream was muffled by the bit held in place by a locked jaw. I felt my eyes roll back as my body was overcome by violent seizing.

"Dr., is this normal?! Is this to be expected?!" Through the fog of pain I could make out Coulson's concerned voice. I wanted to call out to him to make it stop, but I had lost all control of my body. I was burning from the inside out. I felt the pain begin to morph again, my skin now feeling as though it were blistering and charring. Flashes of sand and the glint of gun metal in the blazing desert sun greeted my memory. A dozen rounds of gun fire followed by a nearby explosion caused me to cry out. I felt my nails burn in the flaming pain. A familiar face popped in my memory. Lieutenant Verde smiled up at me, posing for a picture. The next instant we were ingulfed in flames.

"Medic! Medic! We need evac, NOW!" I screamed, my eyes felt as though they would explode from the heat.

"Kathryn... remain calm... in the base... Coulson..." I could hear a voice, but only fragments made it to my pain muddled mind. I needed it to stop. Too much pain. 'Why can't they just kill me?' I thought, angry at the thought of being left to suffer like this.

"Kill me!" I snarled, writhing in pain, my skin feeling as though it were being flayed from my body. "Kill me!"

Then I felt it. The merciful tug at the back of my mind. I was about to pass out. Or die. Either way, I welcomed it with open arms, allowing the darkness to take me.

*********************************

The two men stood there in complete shock. The young woman lay unconcious, her hair plastered across her face. The Dr. dabbed at his face with a handkerchief,  obviously still in shock from what he had just witnessed.

"My. That was most unpleasant." The agent beside him watched the woman closely, watching the pulse in her throat. "She is alive, just unconscious.  Her body simply couldn't take the pain any longer. She should be out for a while. When she wakes up, she should be no worse for wear." The Dr. removed his gloves and released the shackles from the body of the woman.

"No worse for wear?! She was begging us to kill her..." Coulson began to protest.

"She is a soldier, Agent Coulson. She has seen war. She was simply reliving a past event. She was damaged before she ever stepped foot in this facility. That was why she was chosen, was it not? Don't allow your feelings to get in the way, Agent. What we are doing here is paving the way for the progress of our country, our agents, our future. There are sacrifices that will need to be made. She knew what she was signing up for. And she should be thrilled to be the first of us all to experience this. She is a pioneer! She will go down in history." The Dr. stared Coulson dead in the eyes, all traces of previous humor, gone. Coulson bit back his spicy retort and nodded.

"No more for today. She needs rest."

"Of course not! How low do you think me?! Do you think I enjoyed listening to that poor girls cries of anguish? Absolutely not. But I do have a healthy level of respect for someone to do what she is doing. It takes true grit to forge ahead into the unknown. So she will have all the rest she needs today. We will resume tomorrow, eight hundred hours. I will help you get her to her room." The Dr. helped the agent roll the chair out the door, down the hall and into the woman's tiny room.

*************************************

I felt my consciousness drift back to the surface, like an ice cube to the top of a glass. My skull ached and my body was numb. No more burning. I attempted to open my eyes but thought better of it when the light singed my retinas.

"Coulson?"

I was met with silence. I felt hard springs under me and knew I was back in my room. The experiment was over. For now. I carefully flexed my fingers and toes, wary of the burning I was afraid would return. Nothing but the pop of cracked knuckles and joints. An intense weariness took over, leaving me feeling exhausted. I sighed in frustration, but allowed myself to be taken by blessed sleep.

**************************************

"Sergeant! Wake up. The Dr. is waiting." I groaned and peeked my eyes open, just enough to see Coulson crouched beside the bed. I sat up quickly and threw my legs over the side of the bed, rubbing my eyes.

"What time is it?"

"Five minutes to eight. Can you walk?"

I nodded and stood, walking out the door with Coulson hot on my heels. I marched into the lab and slumped down into the shackled chair, not bothering with niceties. Dr. Chevick chuckled.

"I didn't think you'd be so gung-ho this morning, after yesterday..."

"I'm hoping my current exhaustion will help with the pain." I snapped, in no mood for humor. "Just stick me and get this shit over with."

The doctor paused, my attitude taking him aback. He looked to Coulson who shrugged.

"Okay. Kathryn, this is Dr. Brandt. She will be administering-"

"Don't care. Just do it. Hell. I'll do it myself if you insist on chattering on." I snapped. The female doctor approached with a gleaming silver tray. This time there was only one syringe. It contained a vile black substance that reminded me of tar.

"That's it? And what should I expect from this little vial of a monstrosity?" I growled, not bothering to look at the woman.

"You are the first human trial, but in the past in animals it has brought on a nasty fever and seizures. It shouldn't be half as bad as yesterday and we should get some results by the end of the day. We aren't sure what to expect, but in the animals it showed substantial increased brain activity." As she spoke she rubbed my arm with a swab then carefully inserted the needle. I didn't even flinch. When she was finished, she massaged the spot for a moment, then clasped her hands together.

"Alright. Thats it. Now you'll need to return to your room for observation. If there is anything you need, just press the call box by your door."

I nodded, and bolted for my room. Coulson followed, hot on my heels.

"Kathryn!" I froze. It was wierd hearing my name from his mouth. "I meant to ask you... Are you okay?" I turned toward him stiffly.

"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine. Could you see if I could get a shower?" With that I stepped into the darkness of my room, shutting the door on him and collapsed on to the bed to await the impending fever.