Chapter ten

Steve awoke, his head throbbing, his vision blurred. When they both cleared, he saw Emelia, Greta, and another figure in front of him. He was tied to a tube of some sort, with his shield taken. The last thing he could remember was rushing to help Margot, who was enveloped in gas, when he felt something prick the back of his neck, and blacking out.

He realised who the figure was from the screen on their chest.

Zola.

"Surprised, Kapitan?" Zola smirked.

"How? The explosion-?" Began Steve, only to be interrupted by Zola.

"Fool. Do you really expect me to rebuild HYDRA over several decades and not have a contingency plan?" Sighed Zola "I uploaded myself to another computer in California, in secret. I was worried that Pierce's plan would fail, now you knew."

Steve growled.

"Ooh, Temper, temper, Rogers. What would your... what is it in English? Ex-girlfriend from the war think?"

Cap launched himself at Zola, or rather he tried to, and was not successful.

Emelia smirked. "A fighter to the end. Zola, get more weapons up."

As Zola walked off, Cap realised something. They were in a factory warehouse of some kind, with balconies lined with what Cap realised were bombs.

Emelia noticed his gaze. "Chemical weaponary. Zola's surprisingly good at it."

"You can't trust him." Clint told her. Cap was both surprised and pleased that the Archer was awake.

"I know." replied Emelia "I've been told that you come from another universe."

"How did Zola get here?" asked Clint.

"He never told me." A wicked smile appeared on Emelia's face "Want to know how the Avengers of this universe died?"

Before Steve could answer, Clint did. "How?"

Emelia smirked. "Let me tell you a story..."

...

A Butterfly Mute landed on the top of a tree in the Timbercat forest.

Asher, Dahlia, and Yumyan arose from the leaves behind it.

Asher drew their axes, but Yumyan held a paw out in front of them "Uh-uh. No need." He said. Asher withdrew their axes, looking dissappointed.

"Just get real quiet, be very patient, and hell come right to you." the Timbercat leader told them, getting into a meditative stance. Asher and Dahlia did the same.

The butterfly turned.

Yumyan smiled friendily, staring at the Butterfly.

The butterfly stared back. "Nah, man, I'm not doing that." He said, flying off.

Yumyan's surprised look turned to one of frustration, before he set off in pursuit, with Asher and Dahlia close behind.

Dahlia had the misfortune to fall face-down into the leaves, low enough to see the ground.

She spat out some leaves, and noticed something on the ground.

A man in a Human Resistance Cloak dragging a bound Margot.

Asher and Yumyan came up behind her, looking where she was looking.

"Hey, who's that?" Asked Dahlia.

The man tied margot down, and was about to fire an arrow with a note attatched into a tree when Yumyan, with the twins on his back, fell on the Human's back.

...

The mess hall was full of feasting, and banjo music.

"Ugh, there's no more seats." Groaned Kipo, standing next to Thor, Bruce and Lio.

She let out a gasp of joy "There's no more seats!" She looked at her dad.

"Eh, you did that. now we have to eat on the floor." Said Lio.

At that moment, Yumyan, Asher, and Dahlia came in. Yumyan was holding one of Emelia's goons in his arms. Asher was leading Margot by the hand. That question would have to wait.

The talking and banjo music immediately stopped.

"Zane?" Asked Lio.

"He has a message." Dahlia explained.

"From Emelia." Added Yumyan.

"Tell her what your note said." Asher orders, taking out the arrow.

"Please meet Emelia at the Water treatment facility in three hours so she can take some of your DNA." Zane said.

"What? Why would I do that?" Demanded Kipo.

"He had this on him, Kipo." explained Dahlia, holding up something that made Kipo's blood run cold.

Wolf's claw-on-a-string weapon.

Kipo gasped.

Zane stated the obvious as to why Kipo should come to Emelia.

"Because we have your friends."

"No." whispered Kipo, horrified.

She dropped her plate, and ran out of the entrance.

"Wait, Kipo!" Lio called, as Kipo got ready to make a full transformation "You can't just run off with Emelia!" Kipo ignored him, jumping off the bridge. "You could get hurt!" Yelled Lio.

Song ran after Kipo. She didn't know the full details, but she knew enough to want to make a plan.

Tony and Nat came up. "So, what did we miss?" Asked Tony.

"Cap's team's been captured, except Me!" Margot explained, running up and accidentally crashing into Nat's leg.

The spy then noticed something. Margot's eyes were glazed over, and very cloudy. She was blind.

She shook her head. That would have to wait. ""Let's get after them."

Thor, Asher, and Bruce ran up. "Lio, stay here."

...

They found the half-mute being carried by Song.

Song let Kipo down. "Why does she even WANT my DNA anyway?" She wondered aloud.

"Well, it can't be for anything good." replied Tony.

Kipo then noticed Margot "Your eyes-" She began.

"I deserve it." the ten-year-old replied.

Kipo shook her head, all ill-will gone. "No, you don't."

Kipo clutched her head in her hands. "What am I supposed to do?"

Asher placed a hand on her arm. "We'll figure it out."

Suddenly, both of them blushed.

"Oh, sorry..." muttered Ash.

"Nothing to be sorry f-for." Replied Kipo, awkwardly.

"Uh, lovebirds?" Tony snapped a finger in front of their faces.

"Oh, right!" Kipo said, "Come on, let's get back to base."

...

Song carried them all back to the base, where Lio was talking to a caged Zane.

After Kipo and Lio had hugged, the girl looked at her Father. "Dad, she has my friends. I mean, who knows what that Mute-hating monster lady will do to them? Ugh, I just want to jaguar-punch her!" She punched the air in front of her with a jaguar arm "What would she want with my DNA?"

Lio looked very grim. "Kipo, when I worked for Emelia, me and your mother were working on the cure. The worst thing is, we found a way.'

Kipo looked at her father, confused.

"We used a piece of the cure needed to make you."

Kipo's eyes widened. "Y-you mean...?"

"Yes. YOU'RE the cure."

There was a nasty silence.

"Don't worry kid, we'll think of a plan." Said Tony "I have great plans!"

"Like the time you flew a nuke through a wormhole with your armour?" Nat asked.

"I saved the city, didn't I?

"We'll beat Emelia at her own game, whatever that game is!" Announced Yumyan, pounding his fists together "Let's figure out her game is what I'm saying."

Song let out some non-understandable grunting.

"I wish I understood." Said Lio, sadly "But don't worry, I got it from here."

As Song left, Zane yelled; "Hey! Don't you feed your prisoners? I'm starving, I'm thirsty, and I need some food and water!"

Mandu went up to him, squealing angrily.

Lio chuckled "That'll do Mandu."

"No, no! Encore!" Cried Tony.

Lio placed a finger to his chin. "Zane knows Emelia's plan. We just have to get it out of him. Somehow."

"I'm not telling you anything. My mind is a vault. And the code is in a separate vault. And they're both inside my mind." Zane looked rather smug.

Kipo smiled. "let's get you that water Zane."

...

Zane gulped down the water like there was no tomorrow.

"Thanks. Still not talking." He smirked.

At that moment, something happened that made The present Avengers' minds parachute out of their heads.

What looked like a being made entirely of water came out of Zane's ear, with a remark of: "Sure, you are."

Zane put his finger in his ear in an effort to clean it.

The being came out of the other ear. "Your lil' thought are singing like a canary."

Zane screamed, and let out several gasps. "What is that?"

"I've got a better question." Said Tony. "what the $*%& ^ is that?!"

"Zane, Avengers, meet Mulholland." Kipo introduced.

"hello, my cranky enemy friend. I'm a collective of tardigrades, or water bears. Rawr. Zoop!" He went back into Zane's head via both his ears.

Zane threw the water flask, gasping frantically. "Get this water mute out of me!" He screamed, before proceeding to sneeze.

Part of Mulholland came out of Zane's right nostril. "Ooh, forgot my hat. Zoop!" The tendril was retracted.

Zane began screaming again. "Aah! Aah! Aah!"

"Aah! Aah! Aah! Right back atcha!" Kipo mocked, before walking off.

Zane sighed in defeat.

...

Hugo pressed his hands against the sides of his head.

He much preferred classical.

Suddenly, the music stopped. He let out a sigh of relief "Ugh, finally." He lay down to go to sleep.

He was interrupted by a loud BOOMing.

He sat up, and realised who the culprit was.

It was Song. His adoptive mother. The one who had raised him from an infant. SHE hadn't abandoned him, like Lio had, so he held no ill will towards her, but this was the limit.

"You there!" he called "Song!"

The monkey Mega mute turned around, and saw him.

"Hello! It's not enough that I'm locked in this horrid cage, tortured by the twang of banjos day and night!" He complained "This is my precious nap time. So, can you please tippy toe?"

The Mega Monkey responded by grabbing the box.

Hugo was thrown around the box, while Song let out some grunts.

"Ugh." He grumbled.

At that moment, Thor flew onto the top of his cage. "What's going on here?"

"Song's trying to tell me something. I can't understand, but it sounds like feelings. Why does everyone have these?"

Song responded by grunting in a frustrated sort of way.

"Sorry, dear, can't understand a thing you're saying." Hugo responded, rather rudely.

Song responded by roaring.

"Oh, unless that's the problem."

Song grunted happily, nodding and sending the mandrill tumbling.

"You could have just nodded." he remarked.

Song grinned sheepishly.

Hugo looked at Thor. "How are you upright?" He demanded.

"I spent my childhood -thousands of years- riding giant winged goats." Thor explained, proudly.

Hugo sighed, and looked at Song. "Listen, I'll help you, in exchange for one favour."

Song looked uneasy.

"Don't worry, it's not 'let me out'."

Song nodded, accidentally sending Hugo sprawling again.

"Nod with just your head!" Hugo cried.

This was going to take a while...

...

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