Chapter 3: Fire and Ice (Part 1)
Serah woke up in her regeneration alcove. She groaned. There was no doubt that Jarvis had put two and two together and had rattled both of them out, and the fact that she woke up in her alcove meant that her Dad and Mom were going to be downright pissed at her. Why? Because it meant she had nearly completed drained her EM Wave Neural Interface. Meaning she nearly killed herself. She slammed her head into the alcove.
"Nice going, stupid. You didn't die from losing power, but you might as well be dead when your Dad and Mom come in and tell you off like you're some five-year-old kid! Ugh!" Serah ranted to herself.
"Well, good to see you realize how stupid and reckless that was!"
She groaned. It was her Mom, Pepper Potts. Her Mom, at times, was a real bitch in Serah's eyes (she never told anyone besides Claire that, though) because she was so freaking paranoid. Like her Dad, a part of her body was dependant on technology, and that part happened to be essential to continue existing. Her Dad's chest-mounted arc reactor that kept his heart safe from the shrapnel embedded only inches away. Her own EM Wave Neural Interface, embedded within her whole nervous system, allowing her nerves to keep on firing.
"Mom, give it up-" Serah began.
"Pepper, let me talk to her." Tony said, cutting her off. Pepper hissed, but knew that Serah was closer to her father than her mother. She stormed off. Tony looked at Serah in the way that she knew that she would be scolded.
"The Flame Valkyrie armor wasn't ready, Serah! I still had adjustments to make on it! Your lack of energy in your interface aside, you could've died from an armor failure!" Tony scolded, looking at her incredulously. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked to the side.
"Dad, you can't blame me. Everyone at school thinks I'm some stereotypical rich girl, and since I finish all of my homework in study hall-if I have any at all-I have nothing to do when I get home! I am so bored-" She began, before her father placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off.
"There was a reason I designed that armor for you, Serah." He said, smiling. Serah raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"Oh? There was? And what was that reason?" She asked, although she already knew the answer.
"I think it's about damn time Iron Man got himself a partner in crime. What better choice than a badass armored chick who shoots fire out of her hands?" He asked in turn, smiling.
"I can't think of a better choice of a protegé." She replied, her smile matching her Dad's. He placed his other hand on her shoulder, looking her dead in the eyes.
"Now, wait here and finish regenerating. Tomorrow is your birthday, and the birthday of Iron Man's new partner, Flame Valkyrie. You ready for it?"
"I was born ready."
Tony turned and began to walk away. He then raised his finger and turned to look at her.
"Oh, and about the loneliness thing-I found an online site that you might like. I had Jarvis send Claire the link. It's got video chat capabilities, so maybe you can make some friends on there." He suggested.
"I'll see what happens. Night, Dad."
"Take a good nap, Serah."
Serah closed her eyes, and let the machine do its work. Brynhildr watched in rapt fascination as the EM Wave Energy recharged her Neural Interface, causing her body to gain blue patterns all over, revealing the Neural Interface. She had obviously fallen asleep as her body recharged. Tony looked at her one last time.
"Don't scare me again, Serah. I've almost lost you two times now. I don't want the third time to be the charm." He muttered.
Katrina's newfound joy at now having battle partners in the Shiva Sisters, Stiria and Nix, did not go unnoticed by her parents, but what could one expect when your mother was an ex-Russian spy who now worked for a secret agency and your father was a skilled archer who worked for the same agency? They let Katrina have some secrets, out of respect, but this sudden surge of joy was so unlike the normally-dreary girl.
"I wonder what changed? I mean, look at her, Nat! She hasn't come home with an injury or crying her eyes out! There has to be something…" Clint pointed out, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Yet we can't see it. Damnit, I've had enough of her hiding this secret. Tonight, at dinner, we're asking her." Natasha added, her tone of voice making it clear that there would be no protesting. It was to be expected. Even off-duty, she carried a weapon of some sort with her. She was the infamous Black Widow, after all.
"Yes, ma'am."
He saluted her. She smacked his arm playfully.
"You idiot. Stop that, you know it pisses me off."
"If it pisses you off, then why do you put up with it?"
"Because you're my idiot."
He chuckled, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Of course. And you're my ninja."
He planted a kiss on her cheek. She smacked him again, and they laughed together. Katrina was secretly watching, and she made a quiet gagging noise while covering her mouth. She turned away.
"How is it that one minute my mom can rip someone's throat out and my dad can shoot someone from fifty miles away and the next they're all lovey-dovey and so gross? It's so… just, ugh!" She whisper-asked.
"Humans are such strange creatures." Stiria said.
"Yea… I mean, one minute they're fighting over small stuff, and the next minute they're all happy and doing… whatever that is!" Nix added.
Katrina hung her head, and facepalmed. Bakugan really were aliens. And Nix was certainly something else, all things considered. She slid down against the wall, and focused on her twin Bakugan partners.
"It's all a part of how humans show that they love one another in that way. It's really hard to explain, Nix." Katrina whispered, trying to remain quiet and unnoticed.
"Is something wrong?" Stiria asked.
"...I don't know how to tell my Mom and Dad about you guys. Mom and Dad have been through a lot, and they worry about me a lot. If they found out that I had two alien friends and I was an Aquos Brawler and I joined that site for Brawlers recently-"
"And what site would that be?"
Katrina squeaked. She turned to see her mother standing there, arms crossed. Her eyes were narrowed. Katrina silently cursed herself for not hearing her mother coming.
"I think the human saying here is… 'You're screwed." Nix said.
"Yea… I'm definitely screwed." Katrina added.