Shadow Butcher (LokixAvengersxOC)

Bloody Jazz

Without hesitation after being told by Jarvis to meet Tony in his lab, I rushed off to avoid any further arguments with the prince in the gym previously. But I find myself picking on my skin the closer I get to the scientists' lab.

I raise my fist to knock on the glass door and I inhale deeply. And before my fist touches the door, Bruce opens it for me with a heartwarming smile.

"Come on in, uh-Reaper?", he greets me rather amused as he shakes his head in disbelief. "I'm still not used to that nickname."

I snicker. "Since we don't have any issues, you can call me by my name."

He raises his brows expectantly for me to tell him my name. That's when I realize I've never told him nor Tony my real name unless they heard Nick Fury on the Hellicarrier on the day where Loki went havoc. Or perhaps Steve might have told them.

"Or, we can get you a new name. What do you think?", Tony joins the lab and claps his hand on my shoulder with a smug grin plastered on his face. "Shadow Butcher screams for slaughter if that is indeed your real name of course."

I roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders while Bruce scolds his friend. "That wasn't very nice, Tony," he pauses for a moment to reconsider Stark's words. "Although, you got a point if you puzzle those words together."

"Zala Jazaar," I smile. "Translated, it is Shadow Butcher. Had to, if you live in America," I add as if it was nothing followed with a shrug.

Tony snaps his fingers and has a serious look on his face. "I call you Jazz, now."

In return, he earns a frown from me. "No, please don't."

Tony smirks broadly and gestures for me to sit at the table. Hopping on it, I watch Tony click on his holograms while Bruce takes out some cables and patches. I observe them in awe as they are working completely in their elements and I can't even understand one bit of it.

Banner takes my arm, my body stiffens at the sudden touch. His brows furrow slightly until he understands why. He still doesn't let me go but tries to distract me with a question. "Okay Shadow, why did you change your name anyway?"

He continues with the patches. The wires connected to the plaster stuck on my skin. Bruce does it so gently like I have never been touched before but that doesn't make it less uncomfortable.

I hated it. And more so, when he comes around with the needle. I gulp at the sight of the syringe. Not because I'm afraid of it but rather because not too long ago, Jimmy-I mean Bucky or James- used the serum to make me a pawn to HYDRA.

Images of a mummy in its ancient Egyptian sarcophagus cross my vision. The pharaoh standing by its side with his half-naked body, only covered in a silky undergarment, in the grave of the pyramid. The pharaoh looks straight at me, his white golden brownish eyes piercing exactly through my soul.

This is the ritual my father used to teach me before I became the new Goddess of Death. The one who can lead souls to the Afterworld. Not to the Underworld since that is something that humans created to scare their people. As if it was invented to bind humans to do good. It's just a story. A fairytale.

It caused chaos at first but eventually, the people followed their morals. Funny, how such hieroglyphs can be read wrong by our followers and how some words on papyrus can hold such a power. But everyone still respected Anubis. The God of Embalming and the Afterworld who reigns the realm of death.

Three snaps bring me back to the present. "Earth to Jazz..." Tony takes me by my shoulder, shaking me softly. I had been zoning out and focused back on his face. His brows were slightly furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "Great, you're back. Are you okay?"

"What?", I ask breathlessly. My body is back to shaking, muscles sore from being tensed up the last, seconds, minutes, or even hours. Hell, I don't even know.

Bruce steps closer and removes the last patch. I haven't even noticed that he removed the other four already. "Shadow, you're bleeding," he adds concerned.

He points to my legs and suddenly I feel how warm and wet it feels between my thighs. I curse under my breath and jump down from the table. But that move hurt terribly. My insides are crumping up and I hiss sharply as my hands clutch my lower abdomen.

"Oh, hey, hey. Easy there, reaper," Tony says and Bruce holds me up by slinging his arm under my armpit and his other rubbing my back.

"Shadow, why are you glowing red?" Bruce starts to question and tries to shift my weight from his hold.

I look down at my hands and shoot Tony a pleading look. Stark understood my assignment and tapped something on his computer. The bracelets on my wrist click, which can only be heard by my enhanced hearing, and my powers get bounded. A sigh of relief washes over me until I grimace from feeling the odd pain in my lower region.

"It's probably a dumb question, but, are you on your period?", Stark questions and I raise my brow as if he was serious enough to ask me such an incredulous question so bluntly.

"Excuse me?", I stiff my laugh. "No, I never had them and I can't get them."

"Yeah, Right. Forgot you're a kind of zombie, Jazz."

Bruce shakes his head and holds back a giggle from our silly conversation. "Let's continue this tomorrow, okay?" Bruce leads me to the exit and I shake my head and tell him the sooner we start the faster it is done. "Shadow, I don't think it's a good idea to start this extraction if you're not healthy enough."

"I can take this," I assure him but my clenching jaw betrays me from stifling a grunt of pain.

Bruce sighs but still looks at me sternly. "We won't continue the procedure unless you feel 100 percent well enough."

"Get some sleep, Jazz. Banner's right. I'm sure the extraction will work but just in case it doesn't, it's not the best for any of us to do this," Tony adds and opens the door. I open my mouth but he slaps his hand on it. "No, go have some fun with Reindeer Games or whatever you usually do."

I blush a bit of what we did the entire day but it seems neither of the scientists had noticed it. Tony lets go of me and I glare towards them both. "Fine," I grumble and start walking away like a pissed teenager.

"Oh, and Reaper!", Tony shouts and I stop in my tracks. I turn my head to the side to look back over my shoulders. Banner went on with his work while Tony smiled wide. "In the lowest drawer next to the shower are some toiletries, just in case."

I blush embarrassed and roll my eyes before I call the elevator to get back to my apartment.

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Author's Note:

Alright, question:
What do you think is Shadow's problem now?
Do you think it's because of all the stress?
Because of what Tony and Bruce might have done to her?
Perhaps something completely different?

Tell me your thoughts and don't forget to comment, vote && just spread some love!