Laid up

The teenage girl lay back in the bed and tried not to sigh as she waited for the results. She had always been an active person and this inactivity was getting to her. Yes, she had collapsed and everyone had freaked. But she had been hurt before! Getting hurt was part of the job, for god's sake! This wasn't even close to the first time, so why was everyone acting like this? She started to sit up and stilled as her minder coughed.

"Kate." The red haired woman had her nose in a book, but no one with any brains assumed that she wasn't aware of everything going on around her. The girl was a bit afraid of this woman and she wasn't the only one. Many people had admitted that the 'former' assassin creeped them out a bit.

"How long do you think?" Kate wasn't a normal teenager. If that actually was a thing. Come to think of it? It wasn't. Every teen was different. No matter where they were from, what culture, religion, whatever, every young human going through puberty was different. That let aside what she was and who she was associated with. Who she had worked so hard to join even with so many people telling her she couldn't.

"It will take as long as it takes, Kate." Natasha Romanoff, more commonly known as "Black Widow', was an enigma in many ways. This was totally intentional. The woman had done so much, seen so much as a spy and operative even before becoming an Avenger that she was a legend to many for many reasons. Reasons fair and foul blurred around her for very good reason. She was deadly, vicious on occasion and had no compunction whatsoever about killing her enemies if she felt such was needed. Some people decried such tactics. Kate felt that those people had way too much time on their hands. She was all about getting the job done, hence why she was here. Now. "You worried us all."

"I didn't plan on collapsing." Kate Bishop said quietly as she picked up her own book. Whereas Natasha was pretending to read a romance novel, Kate was reading a textbook. She was quite bright. Not a super genius like some she rubbed shoulders with on a daily basis, but she was no dunce. She loved to learn and knew enough to know just exactly how much she didn't know. Would never know. Far from cowed by such, she embraced what she could. This textbook dealt with physics and she was fascinated by such. Especially now with her additions to her arsenal. "We accomplished the mission."

"Yes, we did." Black Widow looked at Kate Bishop over the top of her book. "That said? Tearing up AIM infrastructure that they can replace in a matter of hours or days and then beating up a bunch of AIM robots is not an acceptable exchange for your life." Kate felt her protest fade in her throat at the more senior Avenger's calm words. "You know how they think. They would count ten thousand of even their largest and most expensive robots lost to kill any of us a win."

"I know." Kate said very quietly. "I don't understand, Widow. Everything was going right! Everything felt right. And then I woke up here." She bowed her head. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Well, you did and now, you get to pay for that. You stay right here in your bed until Tony and Bruce go over the data with Hank." Natasha was totally serious. "At least we were on our way out of the hive when you went down but still…" She trailed off, a small frown on her face. From her? That was a full on grimace. It was hard for her to get past her iron control in some situations. "It was a good think Clint wasn't there. He wouldn't have taken it well."

"I know." Kate buried herself in her textbook, but it couldn't hold her interest. "Have you told him?"

Her mentor in the use of a bow as an Avenger was a lot of things. Even tempered was not always one of them. Many people remembered Ronin and what the masked vigilante had done. Not many knew that Clint Barton had been Ronin once upon a time and the bloody swath he had cut through several underworlds worth of goons had made even such badasses as Wolverine and the Punisher smile in appreciation.

"Cap waited until they were back in the Quinjet to tell him. After their mission. And yes, Clint wasn't happy." Natasha replied and nodded as Kate groaned. "Yeah. He is on his way to the helicarrier and he still is not happy. With you, Cap or any of us."

"Is he likely to shoot me?" Kate all but begged.

"No. Although he might hug you hard enough to break bones." Now, Natasha's face was graced with a small smile. Again, probably all that could get past her horrific training and past deeds. "He understands, Kate. People like him and me understand our limits better than most. We push the limits until they break, but when they break, things get bad. At least this time, it isn't time travel."

"Yeah. Once was enough." Kate's grimace held much more now.

Kate Bishop had been on the fast track to become an Avenger. She had many reasons for wanting to get away from family issues and to push herself past her own limits to see what she could do. A-Day and the apparent death of Captain America had put paid to those plans. The Avengers had disbanded, being deemed dangerous. Duh! Of course they were. The threats they faced were just as dangerous or far more so. The rise of AIM and the evil corporation's almost overnight taking over of most of the world in the name of security had made things go form bad to worse. Losing Hawkeye and then finding him working for AIM of all people had shocked Kate to her core. Then the truth of what had happened, or what would happen in the future if nothing changed had shaken everything again. She felt the bed shift under her and suddenly Black Widow was staring at her.

"Kate?" Why was the female Avenger's voice as if from far away? "KATE!" That was a scream, but Kate felt good. Better than she had for quiet a while as something brushed up against her.

And who else was talking to her?

"Easy, kid. That won't be fun, I know. Believe me, I know." The voice was male, calm and assured. She didn't know him, but she instantly liked him. Not mind control or anything, just a wry, gentle humor that she appreciated. "This will be a shock, but it is okay. You are going to be okay."

Kate screamed as she felt the world fall out from under her. She landed on her hands and knees on cold metal and the voice spoke up again.

"Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths. It is hard, such a jump unprepared, but we had little time. You were right on the edge." A hand touched her wrist, turning it gently to take her pulse. Another hand was on her forehead. Both felt odd. Metal, but warm. Kate tried to look up, but her head spun and her stomach rebelled. "No! Head down. Don't vomit here of all places."

All Kate could do was shudder was keep her head down as her stomach rebelled against whatever had just happened. Then she went utterly still as another voice spoke. Once Kate Bishop knew and loathed.

"Do you really think I would take her to task for such an autonomic reflex, Centurion Ric?" The voice held measureless malice but also a matching hint of humor?

Kate didn't want to look up, but she did and there he sat. On his throne. The dread man himself in his customary gray armor and green cloak. Victor Von Doom. Doctor Doom! The most dangerous of the villains of this world! Even such organizations as Hydra and AIM gave his lands a wide berth for very good reason. There was little he could not do. Less he had not done. He had fought the entire team of Avengers to a draw more than once all by himself! And here? She was in civilian attire. No weapons. No gear. Just herself. She was screwed.

But she was an Avenger!

Kate gathered her legs underneath her despite a cluck of disapproval from whoever now held her arm. She ignore that to stare at Doom as she rose. She would not kneel to him! She stood up, too fast. Her head spun but she fought the nausea and kept her eyes on the armored form.

"Girl. Don't be stupid." The voice from beside her warned, but Kate just stood, wary. "You knew how she would react to your voice even stressed and about to puke."

"And you of all people know we do not have time to dither, Centurion Ric." Doom replied. Was that respect in his tone? To who ever was beside Kate? Kate turned to look and went utterly still. The man holding her arm wasn't one! He was made of metal that writhed as if alive! Kate stared, but her eyes were drawn back to the throne. "Avenger Kate Bishop, hear my words. I am Victor Von Doom and today, you are not my enemy. This I swear."

Kate glanced from side to side but her quick perusal showed nothing. She had never been to Latveria. It was worth any Avenger's life to be caught there. But this was odd. What she remembered about Doom was that while the man had an ego the size of at planet along power and skill to match, he rarely lied openly. He manipulated, tricked or just flat out outplayed people, but he rarely lied in person when saying such things. His oath meant something to him, but only as long as it was convenient. Or he found better ways to do things. Or he was thwarted somehow. She knew not to trust him. Doom gave her a nod as if he approved!

"Girl, don't!" Whatever held her arm gave it a squeeze. Enough to hurt. "We do not have lot of time and while you insulting him probably would not get you obliterated here and now, he will take offense and you will not like what happens. Then, we will be out of time completely. So I will talk and you will listen." That was a command and the arm pulled Kate around so she stared at the metal man. "My name is Centurion Ric. It is one of many, but right now, it is the only one that matters. I am not from around here." Doom snorted, almost a laugh and Ric sighed. "Please let me handle this? She cannot believe you of all people." Nothing was said, but the man, thing, in front of Kate nodded as if a gesture had been made. Kate tried to look back at Doom, but the man squeezed her arm again. "Me. Look at me. Nothing else. As I say, my name is Ric. Yours is Kate Bishop."

"And if you know anything at all about me, then you know I have friends who are likely on their way here right now." Kate said with a growl.

"They will find that very hard since you dropped out of your reality." Ric replied and Kate stared at him. "Or did you think you could manipulate such quantum forces with impunity? Idiot!"

"I… What?" Kate stammered.

"You use a form of quantum teleportation." Ric shook himself and stood almost like an annoyed teacher now. "You do know that at its core, everything is energy, yes?" Kate nodded, still dumbfounded. "Okay. Good. Then I don't need to go back to the very beginning." Another snort from Doom, but Ric ignored that. "What you have been doing has been tearing small holes in the fabric of your reality. You jump through, come out somewhere else. Simple."

"No." Kate said a bit weakly. "It is not simple at all! It took weeks for me to figure that out. How to scale the power and jump where I want. Only where I want. It works!"

"You… I…" Now, Ric seemed flustered.

"Don't blame her." Came from Doom! It actually sounded approving. "You know how bad it could have gotten if she had tried for longer time spans or farther distances. Desperation is a hell of an incentive, is it not?"

"I… I do not understand." Kate said weakly. She looked from Ric to Doom and neither was hostile. Both seemed intent. "What am I doing wrong?"

"What you are doing right is a shorter list. Idiot girl." Ric snapped, but his heart clearly wasn't in it.

"You cannot blame her." Was Doom defending her? "Blame Advanced Idea Mechanics. She took their tech and used it against them. They are making far more of a mess than she is even without that idiot witch using the Cosmic Cube the ways she is. Monica Rappacinni is a very smart woman, but she making a fundamental error. Playing with such never ends well for people like her. I know. I learned." That was desert dry.

Yes. Doctor Doom had held the Cosmic Cube more than once. It had never ended well and eventually, from what Kate knew, he had given up that unfathomable power because he had been bored! Then again, Kate understood about being bored.

"So… I messed up?" Kate asked a bit weakly.

"Short answer? Yes. Long? You did what you had to." Ric still held her arm, but now, she felt so weak it was a support rather than a restraint. "In your place? I would have done the same or far worse. That said? You used it too much. Too fast. You shifted a bit too far for your reality to hold you and you slipped right out of it."

"I… I can't fight as I should without it." Kate all but begged. "AIM needs to be stopped."

"Kate Bishop." Now, Doom sounded kind. "AIM are very smart, shortsighted fools. That kind of quantum power should never be used for such. I know you needed it. Need it to fight AIM and their misbegotten ideas of how to make the world better. I too thought the same, once upon a time. I made the world in my own image once. Using the Cube. It did not end as I planned. Quantum mechanics such as you use to teleport in battle are the basis of reality as we know it. The raw energy of the cosmos can be used to make wonders and horrors happen. Using such power is not a bad thing, but you need to know the limits or this will happen again."

"And next time, I may not be here to catch you." Ric said quietly. "I am glad I was."

"You… You caught me?" Kate asked, still confused. A quick look around and she was even more confused. Doom's throne room was empty except for Ric and Doom! That was odd. To say the least.

"My trap was for someone else." Ric released her arm, but she was was too fuddled to move, let along fight. "It is a long story, but…" He was interrupted.

"She may be able to aid you." Doom sounded musing. "She is not one that the other knows."

"Where I go, she cannot follow." Ric replied, bowing his head. "And what I must do? I cannot ask that of anyone else. Eliza laid the geas on me, I will act."

"Wait. What?" Kate stilled. The Avengers had been apprised of a fairly unique individual named Eliza who had been incarcerated by Doom. A very dangerous insane individual. No one had been happy with such, but when Wanda Maximoff the 'Scarlet Witch' of all people told everyone to 'Back off and let Doom handle it!' They did. Kate's eyes widened. "Eliza is loose?" Ric and Doom looked at each other and Kate had her answer. "And you were trying to catch her?"

"No." Ric replied. "I have to kill her. She is too dangerous for anyone else. Victor did his best, but she cannot be held or rehabilitated. She laid plans, Eliza did. It was what she did. Even for her own fall to madness. 'I' am one of those plans."

"Kill her?" Kate stammered. "But… From what little I heard, she warps reality like Wanda does." Both of the males nodded. "How could you possibly kill someone like that?" Neither of the men answered and Kate stared from one to the other. "I am just a student, but warping such power as to alter bits of reality would make her unstoppable."

"Not really. I can stop her." Ric said quietly. "And I have to. It is my duty. My last duty to her and her line."

"You are a true knight, Sir Ric. Not the ennobled thugs that most knights were in history, but the ideal to which they should have been held." Doom was sad now. "I wish things could be different, but they are not."

"Wait." Kate said weakly as both men bowed their heads. "Something… I…" She stammered as both men stared at her. "Did you do something before this?" That was to both of them. Both men looked at one another and seemed confused. "I fell unconscious on my last mission, after a jump. Did you have anything to do with that?" That was to both.

"No. I just got here. Victor?" The metal man asked the despot of Latveria who shook his own head.

"I have sensed the quantum disturbances caused by AIM tech but they have not given me cause to take steps." Unspoken by Doom was the very loud 'yet'.

"I teleported." Kate said slowly. Her mind was whirling. Something was off. Something wasn't quite right. "There was an Adaptoid that I wanted to get the jump on. Then I woke up in a medical bed. I… Something…" She reached up to slap the top of her head. "I can almost…" She went utterly still as Ric grabbed her hand and then, somehow, Doom was there, reaching for her head! She screamed, but his finger touched her and she fell...