Previously
"It gets better. I promise," He says with a serious expression. Just then they hear the bells of an ice cream truck. Steve drags her over to try some for the first time.
Chapter 11 – Unexpected Encounter
"What kind of ice cream would you like?" Steve looked at Caterina with a smile. She studied all the names on the board but couldn't pick one she wanted. Steve chuckled and ordered two of his favourite, butterscotch ripple. He handed her one of the cones and licked his own. She watched him for a moment, looking back and forth between him and the cone. Giving it an experimental lick she was surprised by how good it was. Her look of surprise and enjoyment made him give a throaty chuckle.
Caterina opened her mouth to tell Steve thanks but suddenly there was an explosion between them. They were thrown apart by the force of it. Her ears rang from the blast but she felt mostly unharmed as she climbed to her feet. Twenty feet away Steve was already in a tactical crouch, using a planter for cover. Her movement caught his eye and he sprinted to where she was covered by a stone bench. He watched something over her shoulder as he ran.
Turning Shadow Cat saw five vaguely human looking robots advancing toward them. They were rather boxy in construction but had two arms, two legs and what could be called a head. Their steps were slow but they appeared to be coordinating their efforts by spreading out to box the two of them in. When one of them turned a thick rope of cables could be seen in place of a human's spine Steve pointed it out to Cat as a possible weak point.
As they watched one of them raised its arm and launched a small rocket at them. Steve pulled Cat back behind the bench just before it shook with the impact and the explosion that followed. They shared a look, not as Caterina and Steve but as Captain America and Shadow Cat. A nod was exchanged to say that this needed to be stopped.
Quickly the two of them vaulted over the bench and ran for the robots. The captain grabbed a trash can lid to use as a makeshift shield which he used to backhand one of the machines. Before he could continue his attack on the fallen enemy another struck out at him causing him to jump back. He was distracted for a moment by checking on Shadow Cat. She had pulled the umbrella from a nearby café table and snapped the top off. The metal pole helped her vault over a robot and then she rammed it through the connection conduit on its back. A high pitch whine could be heard and the robot immediately fell to the ground unmoving.
The Captain was wrenched away from watching Shadow Cat by an uppercut. He flew through the air and came up to his feet with a roll. He rushed his opponent in a tackle. Just as his arms encircled the thing he lifted it up to slam it down on the concrete plaza. He grabbed its head and twisted with all its strength until it came free with a pop. Limbs jerked for a moment before it too whined and powered down. Two foes down and three left to fight.
Shadow Cat had cornered two of the remaining three by a nearby monument using her pole. They seemed reluctant to use a grenade against her when she was so close to them. Steve looked around for the third robot and saw it too late. It cut thrusters and dropped from the sky to land behind Cat. The heat or sound of its rocket boosters must have warned her though because she turned to face the robot just as it swung at her head.
She crumpled to the ground at the impact. Steve had already begun a mad dash to her side when he saw the robot but he redoubled his efforts as it raised its arm to shoot at her still form. He needed to buy a few seconds so he threw the garbage can lid at the back of the robot's head. Thankfully it turned its sensor around to find the new target instead of finishing Cat off.
The Captain breathed a small sigh of relief as it turned the rest of its body to face him. The two that Cat had corned before were advancing toward her body but he couldn't worry about them right now, one obstacle at a time. He used his momentum to propel himself feet first into the robot's midsection, knocking them both to the ground. He attempted to twist its head off but this time the robot knocked him off with a swipe of its arm.
Steve skidded across the ground for a few feet but was quickly back on his feet. The robot was not as quick and it still thrashed on the ground trying to get up. He grabbed the pole that had dropped from Cat's grasp and slammed it down through its head. It did not power down but it was pinned to the ground. 'Good enough for now," though Steve as he turned on the last two.
In a move he learned from Natasha last month he used a nearby bench as a stepping stone to throw himself in a flip over a robot, grabbing its head as he passed. With a metallic twang it came free from the rest of its body. The telltale whine followed by silence told Steve it was offline.
He kicked the legs out from under the remaining robot and twisted its head off as well. Breathing heavily he stomped towards where Cat was still on the ground. There was a pool of blood under her head which made him begin to panic but the rise and fall of her chest was reassuring. The last remaining robot with the pole through its head began smashing its limbs into the ground more insistently, trying to get up. He ignored it for the time being.
By the time he reached Shadow Cat he could hear the distinctive sound of the Iron Man suit overhead. Both Tony and Thor dropped from the sky between where Steve was cradling a groaning Caterina and where the robot was trying to thrash its self free. Tony's faceplate opened and he caught Steve's eye. A nod from Steve said that she would be alright. Reassured Tony slide his faceplate closed and stomped over to the one mostly intact machine.
He had JARVIS run a program to analyse and take over control of the bot when it suddenly stopped moving. It was receiving an outside signal which Tony immediately began to trace. An eerie, heavily accented voice called out for its speakers, "Ah, the great Tony Stark. Your little friends may have passed my first test but not without a casualty, yes? Do not think this your victory. My creations sent back more than enough information on the newest Avenger for my next plan."
Without warning the robot exploded. Tony had time to brace himself, the shrapnel bouncing harmlessly off his armoured suit. The others were thankfully far enough away to avoid any injury from the blast. The shockwave ruffled them and they were dinged with small bits of debris but nothing to worry about.
The other Avengers arrived in a tactical truck. Steve carried the still groggy Shadow Cat to Natasha who began to dab at the bleeding wound on her right temple. He and Thor then began to gather up all the mechanical parts strewn around under the direction of Tony and Bruce. The two scientists were already examining one of the detached heads and discussing the attack.
xXx
Back at the tower everyone was gathering in a boardroom for a briefing on the man behind the attack. Captain Rogers and Natasha both tried to get Shadow Cat to stay in the infirmary but she insisted she was fine. Checking herself out she joined everyone else and tried not to notice them looking at the darkening bruise peeking out around the bandage.
The signal Tony recorded led back to the base of Victor Von Doom, aka Dr. Doom. He was an evil mastermind that SHIELD had been keeping an eye on for years. He had risen to power in Latveria under mysterious circumstances but had not made a move for more power since.
Agent Hill briefed them on Dr. Doom's history and what little they knew about his robotic army. It was rumoured he was experimenting with cybernetic technology but they could not get an Agent into his base to find out more. "Director Fury has ordered that you all make no move to attack him until we can get more intelligence. He stresses that we cannot afford to lose any of you." With that said Agent Hill dismissed them for the night.
Natasha tried to coax Cat into joining them for dinner but in truth she felt nauseous and sleepy. Begging off and apologizing to Pepper, whom they met in the kitchen she went to bed. Dr. Banner called after her, "Remember JARVIS had been programmed to wake you up every hour tonight because of your head injury." She waved the hand not holding her throbbing head in acknowledgement.
She stepped into her room and breathed a sigh of relief at the low level of lighting. It hurt her head a lot less than the bright white lights in the briefing room. After a moment Caterina opened her eyes to see a gift box on her bed. She moved to open it with a frown, wondering who it was from.
The note attached to the gift read 'At least try it – N'. That explains where Natasha had disappeared to earlier in the afternoon. Cat flipped the lid open but quickly shut it, blushing. She took a calming breath and opened the box again. Inside was a bottle of bubble bath, a bottle of sexual lubricant, condoms and a vibrator. She set the bubble bath on the night stand before looking down at the other items.
She opened the vibrator package and avoided touching the purple sparkling thing while digging out the instructions. Thoughtfully she read the booklet before putting it back in the box and slipping it under the bed. She felt like a coward but she was not ready to face that tonight.
Glancing around her eyes fell on the bottle of bubble bath. One new thing at a time! Cat asked JARVIS to run her a bath as she headed into the attached bathroom. She read the directions on the bottle and poured the right amount of soap into the running water. Instantly the room smelled like flowers but there was a spicy undertone she couldn't place. She loved it!
While the Jacuzzi filled up she stripped off her clothes and looked into the mirror. Her body was a patch work of darkening bruises and her face wasn't much better. The cut from Natasha's knee to the face had just vanished but now she had the bandage on her temple. The minor scrape on her cheek was still puffy but the bruise there was already beginning to lighten as it healed. Her whole body ached and a bath was supposed to help with that, wasn't it?
The water shut off automatically when the tub was full and Caterina reached her hand in to test the water. It was pleasantly warm so she swung her legs over the side and began to slide in. Every little scrape on her body stung as the hot water touched them making her gasp and grit her teeth.
Finally she was submerged in the large tub up to her neck and the heat began to work on her tired body. With a relieved sigh her head settled back onto the perfectly placed bath pillow. She did her best to keep her mind blank and before long all the tension was gone from her body. Most of her aches and pains faded into slight twinges and even her pounding head felt much improved.
As she rested in the bath her thoughts began to wander. Cat couldn't help but wish Clint was there. She wanted to hug him and make sure he was okay. She wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be fine. Sighing she tried to think happier thoughts but still he stuck in her mind. The image of his muscles bunching as he drew his bow over and over flashed through her mind. Next her mind fixated on how he looked all wet in the pool, his rakish grin and wet hair sticking up all over. This time her sigh was a happy one.
Her thoughts continued that way, replaying all those nice moments with Hawkeye until the bath began to grow cold. She pulled on the lever beside the tub and the water started to empty. Drying off she wrapped a towel around herself before heading into the bedroom in search of something to sleep in.
Moments later she was curled up in bed trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Despite being sore and bruised she fell asleep quickly. It had been a long and exciting day. Maybe tomorrow would bring Hawkeye back to her side. With that hopeful thought Caterina Marcos drifted off to sleep.
A/N: I have never written a fight scene before. I hope that what I saw in my mind's eye came out on the page. Review and let me know how to do it better. The next chapter is probably my favourite so far so make sure to come back!
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