Chapter 40: Avengers Disassembled
Everyone took to their positions at the airfield. Steve's side knew a fight was brewing the moment that Tony's side landed. He had ordered Sam and Bucky to find out where they'd landed the Quinjet. Catra, Wanda and Clint were in waiting for if the fighting started. Scott was in hiding as well as a backup plan. Steve made his way to the helicopter they had initially prepared as an escape vehicle, hoping to draw Tony out before he found anyone else.
Sure enough, two EMP devices were fired into the helicopter by Tony, who slowly descended from the sky in his latest Iron Man armor. Beside him Rhodey flew down as well. "Wow, it's so weird how you run into people at the airport." he quipped, opening retracting his helmet and looking at Rhodey. "Don't you think that's weird?"
"Definitely weird." Rhodey replied, looking back.
Even if he didn't expect it to work, Steve felt he had to make one last attempt to talk his friend down. Prevent a fight. "Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he's behind all of this." Steve told him.
"That doesn't change the fact that innocent blood is on Barnes' hands." Adora coldly replied as she walked out from a truck, hand gripping her sheathed sword tightly. "I'm sorry Dad, but you need to come with us."
T'Challa then joined the three, clad in his vibraniun Black Panther suit. From her hiding spot, Catra was shocked to see the Wakandan prince was an Enhanced like them. "Captain." The Prince greeted.
"Your highness." Steve replied. "...Adora."
"We have our orders Dad." Adora repeated. "Stand down or else."
"Your kid's right Cap. Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in." Tony told Steve. "That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"
"You're after the wrong guy." Steve pleaded with them.
"Your judgment is askew" Tony coldly remarked.
"Like I said, Barnes killed innocent people yesterday." Adora said, preparing to draw her sword. I understand wanting to help him, I really do. But he needs to answer for that."
"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't." Steve argued.
"How do we know that's true?" Adora shot back. "What if Bucky's still under their control?" Catra winced, seeing Adora talk about her father like that. But she had to remain in position until needed.
Natasha then walked out as well, arms crossed. "Steve... you know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?" She asked him
"You're outnumbered." Adora told her father. Still, he stood firm and showed no fear. She wanted to respect him for that, but in her eyes he had started this whole thing.
Tony was eventually fed up with beating around the bush. "All right, I've run out of patience." He declared, bringing his hands to his mouth and shouting out the signal. "Underoos!" Steve was then caught off guard as something stuck to his shield and wrenched it from his hands, then bound said hands. Peter Parker, or as the kid himself had said 'Spider-Man' flipped through the air and landed nearby, Steve's shield in hand. He was clad in the brand new suit Tony had designed for him. Adora took note of how often Tony would do that and debated asking for an upgrade to her suit after all this.
"Nice job, kid." She commented, genuinely impressed.
"Thanks ma'am." Peter replied cheerily. "Well, I could've stuck the landing a little better. It's just the new suit…" Adora then began to chuckle under her breath. His enthusiasm reminded her of Emily. Tony was clearly getting a bit annoyed by the jabbering as it continued. "Well, it's nothing, Mr. Stark. It's...it's perfect. Thank you."
"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation." Tony deadpanned, annoyed but Peter geeking out.
"Okay." Peter said, disappointed. He then gave an awkward suit to Steve. "Cap-Captain. Big fan, I'm Spider-Man."
"Yeah, we'll talk about it later." Tony said again, trying to get things back on track. "Just-"
"Hey, everyone." Peter said nervously, looking around.
Tony rolled his eyes again and was practically deflated. "...Good job."
Steve looked around at the gathered heroes surrounding him, then glanced back at Tony. "You've been busy."
"And you've been a complete idiot." Tony replied angrily. "Dragging in Clint. 'Rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place."
"Protecting a wanted man and ignoring a UN mandate?" Adora added.
"I'm trying to keep... I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart." Tony finally stated, his voice quiet.
"You did that when you signed." Steve told him bluntly.
"You did that when you WOULDN'T!" Adora snapped back. As she yelled, a few strands from her hairpoof came loose, forming two bangs which dropped down over her eyes.
Tony was finally tired of Steve's stubbornness and gave it to him straight. "Alright, We're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us. NOW!" He threatened, glaring daggers at Steve. "Because it's us! Or a squad of J-SOC guys... with no compunction about being impolite." Adora noticed Steve turning his head, as if he was listening in, and looked around. She knew people the others were watching. That Catra was close. "Come on."
As she predicted, Sam had managed to find what they were after. "We found it. Their Quinjet's in hanger five, north runway." He reported into Steve's communicator.
When Steve then raised his arms, Adora hoped he was surrendering. Instead, an arrow flew through his hands and freed them. "Alright, Lang." he said. Adora was instantly on high alert, looking for whoever Ateve had been talking to.
Even Peter was on alert, though in his case he seemed more aware of something than the others "Hey, guys, something-" He began to say, before Scott grew to his full height and backflip-kicked him in the face, taking back Steve's shield.
"Whoa. Wh-what the hell was that?" A baffled Rhodey asked.
Scott landed next to Steve and handed back his shield, confidently declaring, "I believe this is yours, Captain America."
"So, you must be the Ant-Man Catra mentioned…" Adora growled, drawing her sword as it was clear a fight was inevitable.
"Oh, great." Tony groaned, activating his thermals to track the rest of Steve's team. "Alright, there's two on the parking deck. One of them's Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her. Rhodey, Adora, you want to take Cap?" He asked, flying towards the terminal.
Rhodey was also scanning, to track down the rest. "Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes." he shouted.
"Where the hell is Catra?!" Adora yelled in the chaos.
T''Challa didn't care about the bigger picture and made his intentions known immediately. "Barnes is mine!" He yelled, charging for the terminal.
He didn't get far before Catra leapt from her hiding spot and tackled him. "Not on my watch!" She yelled, rolling along the ground with him, and vaulting to her feet.
"Hey, Mr. Stark, what should I do?" A confused Peter asked.
"What we discussed. Keep your distance. Web 'em up." Tony replied as he headed for Clint and Wanda.
"Okay, copy that!" Peter declared, swinging towards the terminal.
Meanwhile, Catra and T'Challa took swipes at one another. Catra barely avoided the Prince's claws and raked her down his armor. It didn't so much as scratch it to due the Vibranium. "Stand aside, child!" He yelled at her, getting into a combat stance.
"I'm not going to let you lay a fucking hand on my father!" She yelled back, flicking her staff out to full length.
"Hate me if you must, but my father's blood is on his hands." T'Challa replied, charging her. "He must die!"
"Then you go through me!" She yelled back, charging at him. The two clashed and began trading blows fiercely.
As the two felines battled, Adora and Rhodey began to slowly circle Steve. Adora noticed Natasha had begun to fight with Scott, so she put all her focus on her father. "Sorry, Cap. This won't kill you but it ain't gonna tickle either." Rhodey declared, pulling out a Stun-Mace.
"I'd rather not fight either of you." Steve replied, blocking a swipe from Adora.
Adora gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her sword. "Sorry dad...I have my orders." she told him as she pressed her attack, continually slamming her sword against the shield. She ended up landing a glancing blow which scratched some of the paint off, and used the swing's momentum to twist-kick the shield with all her might, making Steve stumble back. Rhodey took the chance to rush in, but Steve blocked his attack and broke the stun mace in half. Adora rushed over to try and assist, so Steve bounced the Shield off Rhodey's faceplate towards her. Using the training she and Steve had done, she caught the shield in her free hand and spun herself along with the momentum. Then, she released the shield and threw it directly at him. He managed to catch it just in time to stop her from striking him with the flat of her sword.
Not far away, Catra got a slight upper hand by slamming the tip of her staff into T'Challa's chest and activating the Stun function. Vibranium or not, the attack clearly stung. He gripped the end and shoved her back, staggered a bit. She tried to press her attack, but he landed a kick on her chest, knocking her over. She caught herself as she fell and vaulted back towards him, landing a kick on his chest and rushing towards Steve. Then she used a strike of her staff to knock Rhodey's helmet and disorient him, and rolled past Adora, using her tail to trip her up.
Adora scrambled to her feet and looked at Catra, sorrow in her eyes. "I didn't want it to come to this Catra." She said quietly.
"Neither did I.." Catra admitted, standing between Steve and his three attackers.
Scott then managed to come back up next to the group. "Hey, Cap, heads up!" he said, tossing a tiny truck at Steve. Steve looked at it in confusion. "Throw it at this. Now!" As he said it, he held up a small blue disc. Steve threw the truck and Ant-Man threw the disc, causing it to enlarge to a full size. Adora was shocked seeing a fuel truck materialize in fron of them, and shoved T'Challa out of the way.
"Oh, come on!" Rhodey yelled, barely dodging the ensuing explosion.
"Okay, SERIOUSLY Scott?" Catra yelled to the now embarrassed Scott.
"Oh, man. I thought it was a water truck." He stammered out. "Uh...sorry." After checking if everyone was alright, the three continued their run for the Quinjet.
"Alright. Now, I'm pissed!" Rhodey yelled.
"Tell me about it Rhodes…" Adora groaned, rather miffed at the truck being thrown at her. The motion of avoiding it, and the blast, causing more strands of hair to come loose from her poof and ponytail.
Natasha was also knocked flat by the blast, so Tony flew over to help her up. "Is this part of the plan?" She deadpanned, getting to her feet.
"Well, my plan was to go easy on them. You wanna switch it up?" Tony asked, and at this oint, Adora was nodding.
Clint, Wanda, Sam and Bucky managed to catch up to the fleeing members of Steve's side, rushing for the jet. "Come on!" Steve yelled, encouraging them to pick up the pace. Their escape ended up stopped however, as a beam of concentrated energy sliced across the tarmac in from of them. Looking up, they saw the Vision slowly descending from the sky. Catra stared in horror, remembering what he was capable of at Sokovia.
Adora, however, was relieved to see him. She hoped with his immense power they could end this conflict quickly and painlessly. She already hated that a fight broke out to begin with, she didn't want anyone else being hurt.
"Captain Rogers. I know you believe what you're doing is right. But for the collective good you must surrender now." Vision declared, lowering to the ground as Tony's side lined up beside him.
"Shit… That's the last guy I was hoping to see…" Catra grumbled as Steve's side lined up and faced down Tony's.
""What do we do, Cap?" Sam asked.
Steve glared grimly at Tony and looked to the heroes gathered by him. "We fight…" He declared. His side began to slowly approach the others.
"This is going to end well." Natasha quipped, as Tony's side began their march as well.
Adora kept silent, but grimly continued her stride. This was the last thing she wanted it to come to, but it seemed inevitable at this point. She and Catra never took their eyes off one another as the sides marched.
"They're not stopping." Peter said, worried.
Tony picked up speed, lifting off the air. "Neither are we!" he stated firmly.
As both sides began to break into a full sprint, Tony and Rhodey took to the air. Vision also began to fly, and Wanda used her powers to hover towards him. Catra twirled her staff at her side, staring down Adora as she herself got up to full speed. Adora gripped her sword tightly in both hands.
The Avengers had finally, officially broken, and now charged one another in the midst of a tragic Civil War.
When the sides finally clashed, the battle began in earnest. Tony and Steve exchanged blows, Rhodey flew after Sam, Natasha and Clint clashed with one another, T'Challa began to fight with Bucky, Vision took after Sam as well, and Wanda and Peter fought. Adora and Catra were the last to reach one another, and neither was willing to stand down. Adora swung her sword with both hands as Catra struck out with her staff. The weapons clashed, sparks flying from the metal striking metal, and the Staff's charge reacting to the magic of the sword. They both pushed against one another, never wavering, and never breaking eye contact. Catra finally gave a shout, and pushed with all her might, shoving Adora back. She recovered in time, twirling her sword and shoving past Catra, charging right for Steve. Catra grabbed at her ponytail, finally tearing off the hair-tie and letting all her hair flow freely. She wheeled around to swat off Catra's hand and made several efforts to get away from her. Their fight was broken up by Natasha being thrown aside by Wanda, causing Adora to want to go after her. Catra took this chance to engage T'Challa and try to get the pressure off her father.
The battle raged on for several minutes, Catra and Adora both getting lost in the flurry of punches, projectiles, and shouting. They were so caught up in the brawl, they lost track of one another and continued to engage with the various members of opposing sides.
Eventually though, even Catra realized how much time this was wasting. A Sentiment shared by her father. "We need to go now Steve!" Bucky yelled into his communicator. "That guy's probably in Siberia by now!"
"And we could have five Super Assassins awake for all we know!" Catra added, dodging a punch from Peter.
"We gotta draw out the flyers." Steve sid, bouncing his shield off Adora's sword. "I'll take Vision. You get to the jet."
"No, you get to the jet! Both of you!" Sam yelled back, as Rhodey chased after him. "The rest of us aren't getting out of here." Catra winced but realized he was right. At this rate, none of them were getting out in one piece. The best she could hope was to leg it the moment she had a chance.
"I'm willing to go down if Dad gets away." She finally admitted.
"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it." Clint added, firing at Tony.
"This isn't the real fight, Steve." Sam finished off, leaving Steve to think about the fates of his friends. He grimly nodded and sighed.
"Alright, Sam, what's the play?"
"We need a diversion, something big." Sam noted, dodging a blast from Vision.
"Anyone got any bright ideas?!" Catra yelled, flipping Peter over her shoulder and barely avoiding a repulser blast.
Her answer came from n unexpected source, Scott Lang/ "I got something kind of big, but I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell." He told them, and got into position. She detected a hint of concern and possibly fear in his voice as he spoke. "And if I tear myself in half...don't come back for me." Those words made Catra even more panicked. What the hell was Scott about to bring out?
"He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky said in disbelief, again thinking on the same page as Catra.
Steve, unconvinced, pressed Scott further. "You're sure about this, Scott?"
"I do it all the time." Scott said confidently. Then he sounded much less confident. "I mean once...in a lab. Then I passed out." Catra rolled her eyes and waited for the signal. She tries to see if she could make out where Scott was, but she definitely could hear his tiny voice, psyching himself up. "I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the boss. I'm the BOSS!" At that final declaration...he suddenly grew drastically into a giant and grabbed Rhodey by the legs. Then he ruined the moment by doing an evil laugh.
"HOLY SHIT!" Peter yelled, and Adora stared in stunned disbelief.
"What...the fuck…" She said, shocked at what the little man was hiding the whole fight.
"Okay Tiny dude is big now, he's big now!" Rhodey yelled, surprisingly composed given the situation, over his headset.
"I guess that's the signal…" Steve deadpanned, he and Bucky beginning to run.
Adora caught sight of the two running, and while Tony barked in her ear and asked if anyone else had a hidden ability, she took off running after them. She knew she wouldn't be much help against a giant, but she could take thew two of them down easily. Catra caught sight of her rushing after them and broke into a sprint herself. To close the gap, she put her staff at her side and got on all fours, digging her claws into the tarmac to propel herself much faster. She leapt across the vehicles on the airfield, and climbed atop a boarding ramp. Adora was beginning to close the gap, but knew she couldn't catch the two in time. She readied her sword and prepared to throw it, figuring if she hit Bucky in the leg, she could end their escape right there. Bucky would be hurt, but alive and Steve didn't intend to leave his friend behind. She reeled back her arm...and before she let go, Catra leapt from above and tackled her to the ground.
The two tumbled along the ground a bit before Adora threw her off, and got to her feet. Catra safely landed on all fours, back arched and tail stiff like an angry cat. She bared her fangs and hissed. "I won't let you do it Adora." She growled. "I won't let you stop them."
"Stand aside Catra." Adora replied, gripping her sword and circling around her. "I ahte doing this, but it's either us or Ross."
"You're gonna have to go through me." Catra told her, letting her claws out.
"MOVE, CATRA!" Adora yelled, ready to rush her again.
"NO! YOU MOVE!" Catra replied. The words caused Adora to freeze up. She thought back to Peggy's funeral, what Sharon had said.
She stood up straight, closing her eyes and letting out a breath. And then, to Catra's shock, she dropped her sword. "I won't do it…" She said, looking at Catra with tears in her eyes. "Not again…" Catra cautiously began to relax herself, still not letting her guard down as Adora walked over. "Catra...Wound me."
"W-what?"
"Wound me, badly enough that it looks believable, then run." Adora repeated. "I won't fight you….not again." She walked up and hugged Catra. "Never again."
"Adora…" Catra returned the hug and began to cry herself.
"Make it look real. Don't worry, I can take the pain." Adora told her again, looking her in the eyes. "When things have calmed down, when we change the Accords… I'll come find you. I promise." She smiled softly at her friend. "I love you Catra."
"I love you Adora." Catra told her, then closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." And then Catra dug her claws into Adora's side, causing the blond to wince in pain. "I'll be waiting…" As she pulled her claws out, she gave Adora one final strike to the face with her staff, knocking her to the ground. As Adora began to drift out of consciousness, she saw Catra look at her momentarily, and could make out the Quinjet escaping, before Catra took off into the city at a sprint.
And then everything went black.
Adora woke up much later in a hospital, her injuries treated. Within days, she was discharged and made her way back to the Avengers compound. There were only three of them left, aside from herself now: Tony, Rhodey, and Vision. She had been filled in on the results of the battle after she passed out. Natasha had a change of heart and was taken into custody by T'Challa. Peter helped take down the Giant Scott, but was injured in the process and sent home. Catra had managed to escape and gone into hiding. Sam, Clint and Wanda were also all apprehended. Worst of all, Vision accidentally shot down Rhodey, leaving him with spinal damage and forcing him to require Stark technology to walk.
Tony then went to Siberia, where he confirmed Steve was telling the truth about the other Winter Soldiers. There, they found the true mastermind behind the fracturing of the Avengers, and the man who framed Bucky, a Sokovian named Helmut Zemo. Unfortunately, things went sour when Zemo revealed to Tony that Bucky was the assassin that murdered Tony's parents. Despite Steve's protests, Tony had attempted to murder Bucky in revenge. As a result, Steve shattered his arc reactor, and fled with Bucky, leaving behind his shield. And though T'Challa had brought Zemo in to justice, he had accomplished his goal of thoroughly destroying the Avengers' faith in one another.
Adora walked out to meet with Tony and Rhodey, in the main area of the compound. Rhodey was working on trying to walk with his supports, so Adora calmly took a seat with her coffee. "Look who's awake. How are you holding up, Princess?" Tony asked her.
Adora slowly looked around the room, and responded in a neutral voice. "It's a lot emptier around here Mr. Stark…" She took a sip of her coffee. "We played right into that son of a bitch's hands."
"Yeah...we did." Tony said quietly, before turning to Rhodey and continuing to tutor him on his new leg-braces.
Adora just sat in quiet thought. She thought of Natasha, likely locked away in a cell for god knows how long. She thought of her father, once the icon of Heroics and Freedom, now a fugitive on the run from the government he once respected. She thought of Catra, alone in Europe, on the run for likely the rest of her life. As her eyes began to water, there was a knock at the window. She looked over to see a familiar looking old man in a FedEx uniform, holding some mail and looking at his clipboard.
"Excuse me, I have a package here for an Adora Rogers, and one for a Tony 'Stank?'" The man said, prompting Adora to nearly spit out her coffee.
Rhodey wasn't so subtle about his amusement, pointing to Tony. "Yes, this is...this is Tony "Stank". You're in the right place." He chuckled with a gigantic grin on his face. "Thank you for that! I'm never dropping that, by the way. Table for one, Mr. "Stank". Please, by the bathroom." Tony simply rolled his eyes and went to sign for the packages, handing Adora the one marked for her. Tony went to go check his package alone, but Adora grabbed his shoulder.
"It's gotta be from dad. May I stay?" She asked. Tony nodded and opened the package as Rhodey left the room to give the two some time. Inside was a Phone and a letter, which Tony began to read out loud.
"Tony, I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. I've been on my own since I was 18. I never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. My faith's in people, I guess. Individuals. And I'm happy to say that, for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either. Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn't. I know I hurt you, Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you, but I can see now that I was really sparing myself, and I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should-"
As he read, FRIDAY, the new AI of the Compound, spoke up. "Priority call from Secretary Ross. There seems to be a situation at the Raft Prison."
"Right, put him on." Tony replied. Adora had heard of the Raft, where all of the Steve's allies were being held. Judging by Tony's face as he had told her of it, the conditions were less than kind, and borderline criminal.
Ross came over the phone and delivered his panicked request. Or at least he tried to. "Tony, we haver a problem-"
"Ah, please hold." Tony responded with a smug grin.
"No, don't-!" Ross couldn't say much else before Tony indeed out him on hold. He looked over at Adora and smirked. Adora couldn't help but smile back, knowing exactly what was happeneing. By now, Steve was breaking all of the Avengers out of that hellhole. She admitted to herself that she regained a small bit of respect for Tony over that.
Tony turned back to the letter, and finished. "So not matter what, I promise you. If you need us, if you need me, I'll be there."
"That's my dad." Adora said with a smile and hint of fondness in her voice.
"I won't pry into your delivery. My guess, it's from your kitten." Tony told her, sending her off as he sat in thought. Adora headed directly for her room and tore into the package. Inside was a letter, but alongside it, a CD.
'Adora. I'm hoping this gets to you in a reasonable time. It's really hard to tell with Delivery from Europe.'
Catra quickly made her way through the crowded streets of Paris. She had made a conscious effort to hide her identity better than she had during the Winter Soldier incident. For starters, she's cut her hair much shorter, up to roughly her ears. She even shaved the tufts off the side of her face. She wore her hood up frequently and tucked her tail into one of her pant legs. Her hands were covered by gloves, and she wore shoes in spite of the pain. She considered topping her disguise off with one of those holographic mask things she saw Natasha use once. The hood would be sufficient for now.
'I'm sorry again for the clawing. Like you said, it had to look believable. I really hope your recovery wasn't too long, or painful. I've already hurt you enough.'
She weaved her way through the crowd into an alleyway, taking care to be on the street as little as possible as she made her way to the Apartment she was renting. Thankfully, the owner didn't ask many questions and wouldn't pry into her situation. She just needed to get her newest haul of supplies back home for the week. Thankfully, she was able to access of some of her old Avengers funds to keep her afloat while she planned her next move.
'I'm not sure why I'm writing this honestly. Everything's just so fucked up. I guess...I just wanted you to know I'm safe. I've found a place to hole up for the time being. I'd tell you where, but I'd rather not risk Ross getting his hands on this letter and finding me. The guy is such a stubborn prick I wouldn't doubt he'd go through your mail.'
She entered the apartment and went to her doorway, taking out her key. Her landlord caught sight of her and called out to her in his heavily accented English. "Hey, Miss DeRillith." She turned to look at him. "You've been one of my more quiet guests. Just wanted to ask if everything was alright."
"I'm fine, thank you." She replied. "My French is pretty shit, so I don't embarrass myself by talking to the others."
"Understandable, have a nice day." He replied, leaving her to enter her apartment.
'I've taken on the identity of Cyra DeRillith. I know, I know, you're probably laughing your ass off right now at my less-than-creative name. Shut it. The point is...I'm fine. I should be able to handle myself until you can smooth things over with the authorities."
As she took off her hoodie and pants, she walked over to the window, peering out at the bustling city around her. She then made her way to another room where she had a world map spread across the table, various countries marked off. She knew somewhere in the world, Steve and her Father had to be hiding. She just needed to know where….
'I enclosed a CD I recorded of some songs I kinda just came up with. I was planning for it to be your next birthday present actually. But now, somehow I feel that isn't gonna be an option. So I figured you could have them right away. I hope you enjoy them, I kinda just sang what came to mind. I love you Adora. I just wish these fucking Accords weren't keeping us apart. I really hope I can see you again soon… Love, Catra. Your Kitten'
Adora folded the letter closed and put the CD into a player. "FRIDAY, please start playing this. Just for my room." She told the AI. The CD player spun to life, and the first song began to play. The sound of Catra's voice made Adora curl up on her bed and begin to weep.
'We're Warriors….Unstoppable…'
Elsewhere:
It took years, but Emily was finally finished. She'd managed to trace the strange energy signal the Ultron head emitted to a set of co-ordinates in Deep Space. The signal was faint, residual, but given that it was moving she was absolutely certain that it was on a ship. She wired the co-ordinates into her Teleporter band, and put her armor on.
"Finally, after years of Searching, I can finally meet Alien life." She happily declared, charging her Teleporter for a deep-space jump. Thankfully she was able to channel energy from an Arc Reactor she'd salvaged from a previous Iron Man battle to give it the jump start she felt it would need. Even still, the jump would be risky. But in her mind, it would all be worth it. Taking a deep breath, she triggered her teleporter, and vanished in a brilliant flash of light.
Within seconds, she found herself on the floor of a strange ship. The rooms were cold and metal, but strangely...beautiful? The hallways and floors were a brilliant white, lined by eerie green lines. Diamond shaped doors surrounded her as she looked around in awe. As she backed up to get a better view, she bumped into a figure behind her and turned around startled. To her shock, she was facing a 6 foot tall, muscular, humanoid Scorpion woman. She was covered in a Red carapace, her arms ended in massive claws rather than hands, she had black colored lips, and her hair was short and white with a slight undercut. The woman stared at her a moment before speaking, "What the...How did you get on here, Terran?" The question was not demanding, but confused and spoken in a gentler voice than Emily expected.
The next greeting however, was not so nice. A Massive reptilian male charged in alongside a woman that resembled a dark skinned human with dreadlocks. She took aim at Emily with a Laser weapons and angrily yelled. "Hands up Intruder! Dar-eem! Grab her!"
"She doesn't seem like a threat Lohnie." The Scorpion argued, but the Reptilian grabbed her by the arm anyway. "Hey no need to be so rough Rogelio."
"Hm, She's a cute one though." Another voice stated, as a feminine looking figure emerged from the shadows. They wore an all-black bodysuit and had a humanoid figure, but spoke with a soft masculine voice. Their skin was a pale green and their eyes piercing yellow, and a thing tail flowed behind them. As they walked over, Emily was stunned to watch the figure morph into an exact copy of herself.
"W-whoa, real aliens." Emily said in awe, her eyes sparkling.
"Kid, you break onto our master's ship and act like you're visiting an amusement park?" Lohnie asked in disbelief. Then, she ended up going stiff and her irises briefly glowed an eerie green, before returning to their natural shade. "The master wishes to see her immediately." She motioned for the group to come with her, and Rogelio lead Emily deeper into the ship. Eventually, she was brought to a large central command room, where a figure sat overlooking a map of the known galaxy. Several alien creatures line the room, and Emily noted they all looked the exact same. Clones perhaps? They resembled almost demonic figures with pale white skin, glowing green eyes, and no nose with sunken in cheeks.
They stood at attention, a number of which wore military armor, as the figure in the center stood up. Another alien to the right of the throne, one that resembled a humanoid octopus, saluted and stood firm as the figure turned to face Emily. He resembled the aliens lining the room, though he had long tendrils down the back of his head, resembling dreadlocks, and wore a far more ornate outfit. The outfit was a white-and-gray sleeveless robe with an exposed chest, dark gray narrow pants, and shoes with metal soles and toe caps. Further, she noted he had extra eyes on the right side of his face, one above his eye, the other below. His face also showed some scarring, signs of a battle in his past, perhaps.
"Greetings, Terran. I must admit, your sudden arrival caught me off guard. I'm quite interested to see how you accomplished it. I am known as Kes-Tohn. But you may refer to me by my proper title." He declared, looming over her. "I….am the Prime Intelligence."
To be Continued….
Cliffhanger Ending!
So I deliberated for hours over including the ending scene with Emily. I eventually decided to add it and build up the next arc proper, as a sort of "Post-Credit Scene" to the main event. I apologize if it affects the flow of the chapter.
As for the chapter tiself. I wanted to make DAMN sure I handled this battle with respect given the context. I hope I did, and as should be obvious I tried to keep the focus POV of the battle on Catra and Adora themselves. As such, I realize I cut a lot of the battle they were not involved in, and I know that probably irks some people. But in the end, this is focused on the She-Ra characters, so I stick to my decision. I only hope you all enjoy the resolution of the battle itself.
As for that final bit, I had two ideas for the song Adora hears. The first was a Catra rendition of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes' theme song "Fight As One" but in the end I decided it was much better to use "Warriors" considering Catra's Voice actor canonically sang that.
I do not own She-Ra or the MCU.
NEXT TIME: Who is the Prime Intelligence?