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Cassie Granger

The Making of Ra'gaar

The Making of Ra'gaar

 

For the past half hour Cass had thoroughly studied the bulletin board on the opposite wall of Doc Casein's office. She knew it from the push-pins in the upper right-hand corner down to the ink-splotch on the lower left-hand corner where, according to Doc Casein, his prized antique had slipped into a patch of tattoo dye. Becoming one with the board took her mind off the intense pain now shooting from her jawline through her temple to her scalp as she followed the doctor's orders to sit completely still, no flinching, no wincing - or he'd have to start all over again.

 

Joy.

 

"You could have chosen an easier design, Gunner," said Casein as he worked his way down her jaw. "This area of the body is particularly sensitive to the fixative. It's non-toxic, of course," which made her feel a hell of a lot better, "...but it does absorb, and a little too close to the trigeminal nerves... the ones that run right... along... where... I'm applying... it now."

 

Cass bit down hard as he dabbed the dye along the sketched outline. The fixative hit the nerve about five seconds after application, causing Cass to shift her concentration to another part of the bulletin board. "But that's probably more... than you need to know. Just for future reference, if you're assigned... another covert.... operation like this... choose another society." He stopped to check his work. "How y'doing?" He rolled forward to study her face.

 

"I'm... fine." Talking between breaths without parting your teeth or moving your facial skin wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

 

"Let me know if you want a break."

 

Cass didn't respond. The sooner it was over the better. Sooner, in this case, was two hours, give or take, including a very short break for the doc to check his mixture.

 

Doc Casein was somewhat of a legend around Coronado. Besides saving a life or two, he was a master of prosthetics and prosthetic implants, as well as a first-rate tattoo artist. He was also somewhat of a naturalist; didn't believe in anesthesia - local or otherwise - unless it was absolutely necessary, and he shied away from hyposprays. He'd worked on Cass a number of times, so she should have been used to it, but the extensive work needed for Operation Whiteout pushed her to the edge, made her wonder why he wasn't involved in SERE* training.

 

Hell, he probably is.

 

She figured he'd see most of the crew over the coming days, depending on the extent of their cover.

 

As for Cass, her operative name would be Ra'gaar, associated with the Zorathrian, a small little-known mercenary group she'd become acquainted with by chance. It was something she didn't want to remember but couldn't forget. Over the course of a few months she'd learned their language, their customs, and - most of all - their methods of torture. Again, not something she really wanted to remember, but perfect for the type of operation they were about to initiate.

 

The mark of valor among them was the black stylized wing of a raptor in flight, its sharp pin feathers splayed downward from the left temple to the jawline and upward toward the cheekbone. The dye had to be hand-mixed from certain ingredients so it would register authentic in a scan. The fixative was what burned like hell; it made the image durable and removable, but it bonded it to the skin as firmly as a real tattoo.

 

"You'll feel a little discomfort, but it should pass within the hour," Casein said as he finished up. "Let me know if it doesn't. And... you're good to go." Slapping a bottle of pills into her hand, he helped her stand from the chair and led her towards the door, releasing his hold when he was sure she wouldn't crater. "One every four hours as needed. And you can move your jaw now."

 

He grinned.

 

She didn't.

 

Half way down the hall she paused at a fountain, popped a pill, and shoved the container in her pocket. She'd wait a while before reporting for wardrobe and hair. For now all she wanted was to bury her face in a tub of ice water.

 

______________

*Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape

Edited by Cassie Granger

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