The colors surrounded her entire body. The yellow that surrounded her almost matched her honeyed colored eyes. They soften her light ivory skin tone, bringing out the natural rose of her cheeks. Her hair was sprawled out above her hair, a medium brown with natural blonde highlights throughout the mane. Brown and black surrounded her framing the model like body.
Not once did she move, her chest never rose, her eyes never closed. Her lips stayed halfway open, a cry frozen on the pink skin. A grey tint started at her fingers tip and was slowly creeping up her forearms.
"No signs of struggle," Nick's voice broke her from the observations from the body, "Just like the others. Same look of horror and decaying around the body" Her mind flashed back to the two other victims. She only saw photos, a man with black hair and blue eyes. He was found under a dead bush two miles outside the city. That was two months ago before the leaves started to change. The next was a child, which hit close to home for the observer. It was a boy, the age of twelve, blonde hair, green eyes, short for his age. He was found face down in the lake, fish floating around him. His three-year-old sister had found him
Now she watched the body of her missing cousin lay unmoving before her. This was the first time she saw her since she was twelve. She looked just like her mother did. Now she would join the rest of her family in the ground, on the outskirts of town. Her brother would lie beside her and her mother in between daughter and husband.
"What's her real name?" He was standing beside her now. He wore all black. Never said anything that wasn't down to the point.
"Lucinda," She choked on the name. Clearing her throat she tried the name again, "Lucinda. Lucinda Frost." She started to think about her childhood years, the running through the forest behind Lucinda's house, carving trees with the LF and MS, running through the streams and singing under the trees.
"Her I.D. says Aliza Fringe," The name didn't mean anything to her, didn't create any images, nothing that would suggest her death.
In the distance she heard doors slamming and footsteps. She didn't move, not as people swerved around her. They placed the body in a black bag. Photographs were taken. She heard words but none of them registered. It wasn't until a hand was placed on her shoulder did she move. It was the dark skinned man that she followed her. She hovered over the eye patch for a moment but then she looked down before she met his eye.
"We are going to put you into a protection house." She stopped at his statement and looked at him directly. She glared him into an explanation. "Your whole family has been murdered, extended and immediate. There is something about your family that is of interest. Honestly, I am interested but there is more pressing matters."
"I can't just leave my life. I have responsibilities. I have a life to live." She didn't want to start over. She had finally created the life she wanted. She had finished paying off her student loans. She started a retirement fund; she got a job in researching bionics. She had an eye out of the guy who worked in the lab across the hall. She was happy with the small town house. The kitchen was finally updated, stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and light gray backsplash. It took her months to complete through work and caring for her rescue puppy.
"We can't put you back into the life you had. They've seemed to be getting closer. All the victims have ties with your family. " That she didn't know. She didn't know the two previous strangers. The photos didn't bring back any memories; they didn't have a sense of familiarity.
She didn't say anything in the car; she rested her head against the tinted window. A faded reflection looked backed at her. Her gray eyes didn't reflect correctly, in the window they appeared almost black while in the mirror they would shine back like stormy skies. Her blonde hair was pinned back in a tight bun. A few wisps had escaped and framed her heart shaped face. She decided not to frame her eyes with eyeliner like she would on her normal routine. When she got the call she still have a half-hour until her alarm would sing to her. She brushed on foundation and threw on the first thing out of her drawers.
It wasn't until the airport appeared in the window did she look at Nick. She followed him out of the car and through security before she finally spoke, "Where are we going?"
"Manhattan."
He didn't speak to her again until they were on the plane. She didn't ask questions, she didn't know this man. She doesn't know how he functions, how he reacts. "I have a team you'll be staying with. " She didn't ask to elaborate; she just looked at him and waited. He looked at her, "Don't talk much?"
"If I need to know, you will tell me."
"Only if Tony was like that."
"I am not Tony." She stated and watched as Washington fell into her past. She didn't know Tony, she didn't want to ask questions because she knew she wouldn't like the answer. She wanted to be in her town house, her cousin still a young runaway. She didn't want to know about Aliza, She didn't want to know Nick Fury, she wanted to fall back into her mattress and let the day become a bad dream. But the city came into view and she walked through customs. She walked behind the man in the trench coat, never looking up from his heels. He had been on a tablet for the flight, never speaking after their small conversation.
"We are here," she stopped at his voice and looked up. A man with light brown hair stood directly in front of her, behind him a building made of glass and steel blocked out the sun. She knew instantly who build this, the same man who created her lab back in Montana in 2008 after his return from Afghanistan. He created a program that took her back their for 6 months to help create prosthetics for children who had been injured in land mine accidents. In the short time that she was there she help five children walk again. As far as she knew the program was still going on but the demand had decreased significantly.
The man in front of her stepped forward and put is hand out towards her, "Clint Barton. Some call me Hawkeye." She took his hand; rough with callouses and scars, and shook it. "You must be Melinda." She tilted her head in approval and followed the man inside the building.
The building inside was more sleek and futuristic than the outside. A fountain stood in the middle of the lobby, a perfect reflection laid tilted on the marble floor. Bodies curved around it, suits, heels, skirts, ties. A reception desk was wrapped around the far curved wall, five people sat behind, two occupied with a conversation, one on the phone, and two others hammering their fingers against the keyboards. The one to the furthest left, a red head in her thirties looked up from her computer and motioned for Clint to meet her.
"Mr. Barton, is this Melinda Snow?" He nodded in approval and watched as the lady laid a Stark I.D. in front of her. She laid next to it a StarkTech smartphone, the screen came to life at her touch. "Welcome to Stark Industries. We are pleased to have you join our Bionic division; the paperwork is still being processed. Next Monday we will have you join the team."
She looked at the ginger, "What do you mean? I work at Bionics of Tomorrow. "
"Mr. Stark put in a request for you to join the Stark team. His request was approved approximately an hour ago." Melinda Spun on her heels and looked at the man standing behind her, his hands were buried in his trench coat. He raised his shoulders but didn't say anything.
Clint placed his hand on her shoulder, just grazing her skin, "Welcome to the Team."
