Anyone who saw that face would be startled, because it was not a face any normal person should have. No one in the Ministry of Internal Affairs found cybernetic augmentation strange; bionic implants were commonplace for the staff here. Many lower-level employees were equipped with thought implants to enhance their logical reasoning and memory. Even so, the extent of that face's modifications was somewhat excessive—the original skin on the upper half bore scars from burns, with only a pair of dark green eyes remaining intact. The lower half was covered in deathly pale bionic skin that contrasted sharply with her complexion, while custom alloy facial bones had rebuilt the structure of her face. Most of her hair had been shaved away. Thin metallic implants were installed in the skull above her ears, and spinal implants extended beneath her collar like a centipede crawling toward her waist. From her neck to her collarbones ran a series of metallic bionic implants not yet covered by skin, their edges still marked by traces of dried sterilizing gel.
After the Sokovia incident, the City of Immortals' team quickly began providing medical aid on the battlefield. Yet not everyone could recover through simple field treatment. The medical technology of ordinary human nations was helpless before many of those injuries, and most victims could not afford such exorbitant medical expenses. Even if Stark Industries paid every medical bill, many would still be left permanently disabled. Many people were unable to state their identities before all their surgeries were completed, so at the Monarch's insistence, Stephanie had some severely injured "John Does" transported back to the City of Immortals for treatment.
Long-term treatment was an exceedingly painful ordeal. Not everyone could endure repeated bio-organ implants and treatments for rejection reactions, much less persist after reliving the sight