Twists
"Kate." A voice was calling her, but she was lost in whatever held her. It was soft, comforting what held her and she didn't want to let go of it. "Kate. Kate Bishop. Come on, girl. It's okay. You are safe. Come back to us."
"I… I just had… breakfast with Superman!" Kate all but screamed that as something latched onto her mind and would not let go. It wasn't rough, but it wasn't letting her go back to sleep, to oblivion, to comfort. Why was it so familiar? Kate knew she had never felt this feeling, but it was familiar! "How can that be okay?"
"That was weird, I know." The other was so gentle still. "So is the rest of it. It doesn't get much less than weird around us, but you get better at coping. It is all right, Kate." The reassurance was so familiar, so gentle. "She is scary, I now. But she really doesn't want to hurt you. You know she could have."
"Why me?" Kate all but begged that as the softness pulled her again. It felt right, but it wasn't, was it? "Why did this have to happen to me?"
"I don't know. None of us know why this happened." The other was sad now. "Fate or some odd twist of karma. It doesn't make any sense, girl. Come on, wake up. We need you, girl. Now more than ever."
"I… I know you, don't I?" Kate asked weakly. Everything was so familiar but not. "I don't remember you, but I know you."
"Yeah, you do." Something large, wet and scratchy rubbed Kate's cheek and she felt comforted. "Come on, get up. We do not have a lot of time before Elizabeth figures out how we hid the bridge. She is quite smart even insane."
Kate Bishop opened her eyes and froze completely solid. The lioness that lay beside her on the huge bed was at least twice her mass. Had it licked her? A thunderous purr came from the lioness as Kate stared. Then its mouth opened and honest to God English came from it.
"It is good to see you again, Kate." The lioness leaned forward to touch her forehead to Kate's. It felt so right! "Even under these circumstances."
"I don't remember you." Kate said weakly. "But I know you."
"Yes." Came from the massive feline. "I was on duty here when you fell into our laps. I took responsibility for you and we bonded while you were here. None of us had any idea why or how a human had dropped in our laps and we did not treat you as well as we could have." Was the massive cat ashamed?
"You didn't kill me or lock me up like many would if I dropped into a highly secure area unannounced." Kate paused as the other looked sad. She had no idea how she knew the Lioness was sad, but she was certain. "Did you?"
"Clearly, I didn't kill you. I was less than gentle with you when you arrived. I did confine you at first." The lioness said softly. "Then it became clear that your arrival wasn't your fault. Elizabeth tossed you in here. She threw you to us, knowing we would care for you. Even the worst of us would not kill an unarmed, sobbing human out of hand." Now the lioness looked a bit uncomfortable. Again, Kate had no idea how she knew this being felt that way, but she did! "Although that might have been the more merciful choice."
"Where there is life, there is hope." Kate said and slowly raised a hand. The lioness smiled at her and laid her head on the bed. Kate reached out to scratch the massive feline's head behind the ears. Again, it felt right! "Elizabeth sent me here?"
"She did." The lioness' purrs were thunderous now. "She always was a planner, our sister the Empress. But this… She had no right to demand such of you. You are not a killer, Kate. You are not like so many of us and you do not want to be."
"She is using me, isn't she?" Kate asked as she finished her scratching and lay back.
"Both of them are." The lioness replied. "Elizabeth is being fairly gentle. Lorinos is not. The good news is that while you are here, they cannot see through you or influence you. The bad news…" She broke off as Kate made a noise of understanding.
"I can't stay." Kate said softly and the lioness nodded. "What is your name?"
"My name is Bethe, Kate." The huge cat nudged Kate's side in clear affection. "And no. We hoped to keep you from Elizabeth's machinations, but you wanted to go home. And as soon as you did, Lorinos grabbed you to use you against Elizabeth."
"So many twists." Kate complained as the snuggled closer to the lioness. Unthinkable, but it felt so right. "Did I make a mess?"
"Some." Bethe allowed. "But it is totally understandable. Lorinos wants a slave. Elizabeth wants a tool. Neither of them care how you feel about such. We do. Come on, we need to undo what Lorinos did. You won't enjoy that, but it is better than being his puppet and Elizabeth's."
"Okay." Kate swung her feet out of the bed as the lioness jumped off and waited for her. She wore jeans and T-shirt, both in her favorite colors of purple. The boots were new, but functional and also purple. She jerked as a small device appeared on her hip. Her eyes went huge as she recognized it! The AIM tech she had 'borrowed' to use against them!
"You will need your tools to have any chance of escape." The feline reassured her. "We are working on getting you one of your bows."
"Don't try to break into the Avenger's facilities!" Kate warned. "After what happened to me, they will be on high alert."
"We are not going to steal anything." The massive cat gave a haughty sniff that was oddly mocking. "We are going to ask for it and we are going to tell the truth, that we are trying to help you."
"They won't believe you." Kate said heavily as the lioness started off, following a step behind and to the side. That too felt right!
"Probably not." The lioness heaved an all too human sigh. "This whole situation is utterly unbelievable, but it is happening. We will cope, it is what we do."
"Is Lorinos attacking your kind?" Kate asked, sudden fear rising.
"Not intentionally although we have lost siblings to his madness." Bethe said with a snarl that was not directed at Kate. "There is no way for him to tell which being in which reality are our kind and which are regular denizens. There are usually only one of us per reality so the odds are astronomically in our favor." She smiled wide but stopped when Kate did.
"And if he uses me to find you?" Kate all but begged as the sheer horror of that thought flowed through her brain.
"That was part of his plan. It won't work now." The other reassured her as Kate's fear doubled. "You spiked his wheels beyond any hope of them moving in that way. Come on. We need to undo the rest before Elizabeth gets here. It won't take her long, but we have time. This way." She started off again and Kate followed.
The corridors of this place seemed darker now. They seemed to be pressing in on the pair as they moved deeper and deeper into whatever this place was. Then the lioness stopped at a door and waited for Kate to catch up.
"I cannot go in with you." Bethe said softly as Kate stared at the door. She knew this too and feared it! "This, you must face alone. She will not hurt you."
"Why am I so afraid?" Kate didn't move as the lioness nudged her towards the door.
"When you first came here, we had no idea who you were or why you were here. We hadn't ever had trespassers before." Now, shame sang in the lioness' tone. "I treated you so badly. Scared you so badly and you forgave me! I…" The lioness was crying. "I want to help and I can't. It is not in my power. It is in hers."
"What is in there?" Kate asked weakly as she tried to take a step forward and her legs wouldn't move.
"None of us had any idea." Bethe was sobbing now. "I never wanted to hurt you, Kitten! Never! And I did!"
"What happened?" Kate all but begged as the door swung open. She was ready for just about anything, but the room beyond seemed like a regular sitting room. Maybe an office of some kind? A desk sat against one wall with a chair in front of it. A couch lay against another wall and a recliner was set on the far wall facing away from the door.
"We hurt you." Kate went utterly still as another voice sounded. The voice came from the recliner. It wasn't human and Kate knew it. Knew it and feared it! "Go on, Bethe. Get the rest set up with Azile."
"Wait!" Kate started, but the lioness was gone. "What did you do to me?" She demanded, anger rising.
"We need to know where you came from. Who you were and what you wanted. You didn't resist until I probed your mind." The other said sadly. "I didn't mean to go as deep as I did. I saw everything you are. Everything you wanted to be. Your hopes, your dreams, your fears." Wait a minute! How had Kate gotten onto the couch? Her fear was rising again as a huge orb hovered into her view. Many tentacles writhed above it as the great central eye focused on Kate. The mind pressed on her own, gently but inexorably. Her fear waned, but did not vanish entirely. Then the central eye flashed and Kate screamed in agony as something broke in her mind.
It is all right! It is all right! The massive ball like creatures spoke directly into Kate's mind now. I have destroyed the controls. Oh Kate. I am so sorry. Shame predominated in the other's mental speech. I had no right to hurt you like I did. You scared us all, but that didn't give me the right to violate your mind like I did.
"I don't remember!" Kate begged as the ball creature floated a bit away. She couldn't move, but she could still feel. Paralyzed?
A small kindness in a huge mass of horror. The other said softly. None of us did that, so either Elizabeth or Lorinos did. Either would be capable of such evil. Easy, Kate. The other all but crooned as it vanished back behind the recliner, a fact for which Kate was devoutly grateful. The paralysis will wear off quickly and Bethe will be back for you in a few moments. I tried not to hurt you this time.
"What happened?" Kate all but begged as the door opened again and the lioness from before came hurtling in, her face anxious.
We needed information and thought you had it. You did not. The ball monster was sad and sick now. I nearly tore your mind apart looking for something you didn't have! You had no idea what was going on. You trusted us and I hurt you. I nearly destroyed your mind. Freeing you from this slavery is the smallest recompense of the debt I owe you. You are free, Kate Bishop. Go.
"Kate?" Bethe's voice was hesitant.
"I am… here. I think…" Kate said weakly as she tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't hold her. She half fell, half landed on the lioness. "I…"
"Hold tight to me, kitten." The lioness rose up, Kate still half on her and started off. Kate tried not to hold too tight, but she slid and the lioness growled at her. "You won't hurt me, kitten! Come on!"
"Can't… Scared… I…" Kate couldn't managed to get her tongue working.
"I know." The lioness' pace was slow. Clearly, she was giving Kate time to recover. "Come on, kitten. You are stronger than this. What would your friends say if they could see you like this?"
"I…" Kate swallowed hard and smiled a bit forlornly. "Cap would be understanding. He knows all about fear. Kamala? She is never not kind to friends, especially ones who are hurting. Tony would make off color jokes, crack wise, but he would try to help if he could. Thor would kick me until I got up." Kate took several deep cleansing breaths and shivered just a little. "The rest? Doctor Banner and Hawkeye understand fear all too well. I don't know what T'Challa would say."
"I do." Bethe was so soft, so gentle now. "He would say; 'Understand your fear. Don't let it control you'." That did sound like something King T'Challa would say.
"Do you know him?" Kate asked weakly as she tried to stand and still couldn't.
"I saw him in your memories." Bethe was a rock, but still so gentle. "I too bear some responsibility fro what happened to you. I brought you to her the first time. When she… when she was done…" The lioness was almost stammering now. "When we realized what we had done and why. I took you. I did what I could to help you. It cannot undo what we did, but maybe someday, you can forgive us."
"I don't remember that." Kate said weakly.
"But you still feel it. The helplessness. The violation." The lioness' tine held rage now, but it was directed at herself, not Kate. "What we did could have been called 'rape' with good reason. Not physical, but still. You did not consent to our mind probes."
"No." Kate breathed, horrified abut the lioness just kept walking. "Bethe! No! You are not like that."
The lioness paused and turned her head so she looked at Kate.
"I was terrified when you appeared. I honestly had no idea what to do when a strange human appeared here." Bethe said softly, pain etching her memory. "You were so confused, so unsure about anything. You saw a talking lion and took it in stride. And then I, we, hurt you."
"Bethe…" Kate wasn't sure what to say. "I may not remember, but the feelings are clear. It wasn't like that."
"I know what happened to you." Bethe said firmly. "We all saw it in your mind and we did the exact same thing! We took you and hurt you! We are just as bad as the one who attacked you in Central Park! Worse, maybe. We had other options and chose to hurt you anyway."
"Bethe. Stop." Kate stood up straight and faced the lioness. She took a deep breath and spoke from the heart. "What happened to me… I am not over it. Even after so many talks with so many people trying to help, I don't think I ever will be. But what he did was to dominate me. To make me lesser. To show his power by hurting me probably because he felt so inadequate any other way. What you did was to protect yourselves! There is a world of difference!"
"Is there?" The lioness was crying now. "We had no idea, Kate! None! After the scan, you just shut down. You curled up into a ball, crying. You were completely unresponsive! When you showed up here, you were scared stiff, but even in your fear and confusion, you tried to be so upbeat, so friendly and we hurt you! What could we do but try and fix what we broke?"
"I bet she knew what you would do when I dropped in your lap like that." Kate said softly. "Elizabeth."
"Probably. She isn't the woman we knew and loved anymore." Bethe heaved a sigh, relaxing a little. "Kate, I helped take care of you until you came out of your catatonia. I stayed with you until you were strong enough to take care of yourself. I took you to her." She nodded back the way they had come. "I am responsible for your hurts and I take responsibility for what we did."
"Bethe…" Kate bent down and stared the lioness in the eyes. "I have no power to change your mind. All I am is what you see before you. A human girl. How could you have known?"
"We could have just asked!" Bethe snapped, but it was clearly not Kate she was angry with.
"I wouldn't have told you about that." Kate said reasonably. "It was deeply personal and I hid from the memory for a long time. There was no way you could have known." She took a deep breath. "Look at me, being all serious." She blew a raspberry and the lioness stared at her. "Life is too short for us humans, Bethe. Come on, lighten up a little, please? I don't blame you."
"I do." Bethe said softly. "We do. Ah well. We better get this done before Eliza storms in here." She started off again and Kate followed.
"Do we have a plan?" Kate asked as she followed the lioness. "Or just jump in with our eyes closed?"
"We have a plan. Sort of." Bethe was still upset, that was clear. She was well disciplined for a lioness though. "Thing is, Elizabeth was always the best planner. We used her plans because they always worked. But now? She is gone bad and we cannot trust anything she left."
"Could she have planned for that?" Kate asked. "Someone said she had plans ever for her own needing to be stopped."
"We have asked that over and over." The huge feline was sour now. "Looked everywhere we could find and cannot see anything. She hid stuff just to do it on many occasions. We loved her and love her still, but we know she has to be stopped. We cannot do it. She either ignores us or sends us home."
"And killing your sister will hurt you all." Kate heaved a sigh as Bethe nodded. "What can I do?"
"We cannot stop Elizabeth. You cannot stop Elizabeth." Bethe said softly. "We know of one being who can but he is apparently allied with Lorinos now. So…"
"Not to be trusted." Kate finished the thought and Bethe nodded. "So…"
"We are here." The lioness moved to a door that opened and continued through it.
Kate followed but came to sudden halt. The room was filled with high tech machinery. That paled beside the robotic from that mimicked her that stood in the middle of the room! It was her size, held a bow and its colors were all hues of purple. Her colors!
"You done with the moping and crying? We got work to do." The robot's voice was familiar but not. Was that her voice?
"Alize!" The lioness' growl was pure menace now.
"You coddle her and she won't appreciate it." The robot stepped towards Kate who inhaled as she saw a familiar emblem on its chest where her target logo would have been. Decepticon! "Anytime, girl." The robot snarked just like Kate!
"What do I do?" Kate asked and swallowed hard as a chair unfolded from one wall surrounded by ominous looking machinery. Kate shook her head and steppe dot the chair. She paused as Bethe nudged her hand. She smiled at the lioness as she sat and the machinery closed in. Then Kate Bishop went utterly still as an image of herself in her favorite purple Avengers costume appeared before her eyes!
"Hey, me." This Kate was her usual snarky self. "If you are seeing this, something went wrong and we gotta try again. Good news is that Lorinos still likely won't have a clue. Bad news is that if you are seeing this, then Elizabeth apparently does have a clue and is working to stop us. So... Take two?"
"Take two." Kate inhaled as the machinery came down around her.
It didn't hurt. Shouldn't it have hurt her, brainwashing?