Look, it's chapter three! And two days earlier than promised! Again, much thanks to all of your kind reviews and the many follows! Enjoy, my fellow MCU fans! Next chapter should be up soon!
Chapter Three: Let's All Pray We Don't Get Caught!
"We're here!" I announce to the members of the car. Bucky looks up from where he was sleeping, then puts his head back down. "Let's review the plan one more time, shall we?"
Nat sighs. "I sneak in through a window and keep watch while you get Wanda in. Then you get Steve in. Then you get Sam in. Then you get Bucky in. Then you go to breakfast and tell everyone the cover stories, but-"
"-only if they ask," Wanda finishes. We found some pills Tony created a little while ago so people can understand me while I'm in animal form. We forgot about them until Sam went searching for food in the glovebox. Now we can all understand each other. Wonderful.
I glance into the back. Steve is still out cold, but I'm afraid he'll wake up soon. I dig around in my pocket until I find another sleeping pill. I climb into the back and slip it into his mouth.
"Stay down," I order the boys. I pull the sliding door of the white van open. Wanda lumbers carefully to the ground. Nat slithers out behind her, an extra earpiece attached to her ear so she can contact me. She makes her way to the gutter.
"I'll tell you when I'm in," she says. I nod in response and turn to Wanda.
"Let's do this," Wanda says, right before I can say it. She laughs. I lay one hand in her fur and glance around cautiously, making sure no cars are coming. I pulled up as close as I could to the curb, so we just have the short five feet to the entrance to the building.
"I'm in," Nat says. "You're clear."
"Go," I order Wanda. We run as fast as we can, the sliding glass doors opening easily for us as they identify my retina through a quick scan.
"Inside, inside," I say, shoving Wanda forward. "Get in the elevator."
Wanda growls at me. I bury myself into her fur and press the button as the doors close. They open again on the floor where our rooms are. There have to be at least twenty, about ten permanent ones, but plenty of them are empty for people like Clint and Thor who come and go.
"I'll check up on you later," I promise Wanda as we tiptoe down the hallway. Well, I tiptoe, she lumbers. "SHH!" I hiss. She walks quieter, but it's still very loud. I'm afraid we're going to startle Vision, when-
"Get down!" Wanda says. She crouches down and buries her head under her paws. I stand in the middle of the hallway, looking like an idiot. Her room is only a few doors away…
I whirl around as another door opens. Well, it doesn't open, but I sense someone behind me.
Vision phases through the wall. "Alli?" he asks, looking very startled.
"Oh…" I say. "Um, hi?"
"Is everything alright?" he asks curiously.
"Fine!" I say quickly. Wanda's door slams behind. I let out a breath of relief-we weren't caught. "Wanda's just not feeling well."
"Is there anything I can assist with?" Vis asks.
"No, no, she's...um...she's very contagious," I say, nodding vigorously.
"I cannot get sick," Vis reminds me.
"She doesn't want to see anyone," I say. "Sorry, Vis. Maybe, like, when she's better."
Vis nods and phases back through the wall, all thoughts of whatever he was going to do forgotten.
"Clear to proceed," Nat hisses through my earpiece.
"Couldn't have warned me about that, huh?" I ask sarcastically. Nat laughs.
"Jussst go get Sssteve," she says. "Hurry...you only have a few minutesss."
"I'm going," I say. I jog back to the elevator, back outside, where Sam and Bucky are waiting.
"Five minutesss," Nat warns me. "Then Ssstark'sss alarm goesss off."
"Alright," I say. I hoist Steve over my shoulder. "Sam, come on," I say. Sam leaps up to perch on my other shoulder.
"Bucky, I'll be back," I promise. Bucky just stares at me. I sigh and race back into the building. Up the elevator again, being very cautious outside Vision's door. I let Sam into his room.
"Thanks," he says, and flutters towards the balcony.
"No going outside!" I yell at him. "Just...stay here. I'll bring you food later."
"Fine," Sam grumbles. "Can I at least turn on the television?"
"If you keep it down," I say. I close the door behind him.
I go to Steve's room. It's locked. "Crud," I mutter. "You couldn't have left it unlocked, just this once?" I say to the unconscious dog. I wrestle the door open somehow, using one of Steve-dog's nail. I set him on his bed and slip him another sleeping pill, just to be safe. I'll come back and talk to him later, but for now I just leave him in his room, making sure the door is completely closed.
"You're all good," Nat hisses into the earpiece. "I'll be in my room." Her voice sounds much closer. I turn around and see a boa constrictor behind me, making me jump a foot backwards. Nat shakes in silent laughter and slithers past me. Being a snake, she can't get the door open. I make a move to help her but she uses her fangs instead. She slams the door shut with her tail-like, really, really loudly.
"Two minutesss," she hisses. I sprint down the hall and down the stairs, not bothering to use the elevator. I make it to the car and drive around to the garage.
"Hurry up," Bucky meows impatiently. I park the car and lock the doors through the shattered bit of window.
"Come on," I say, holding out my arm. He jumps up onto it and makes himself comfortable.
"You don't know how weird this is," I mutter as I jog towards the door.
"Trust me, it's weirder for me," Bucky says.
"One minute," Nat warns me.
I burst through the door to the main floor. "Too late!" Nat cries, then the earpiece shuts off.
"Shit," Bucky hisses as the elevator doors open. I freeze and adjust Bucky so his metal paw is hidden against my chest.
"Act like a cat," I mutter to him. Bucky stares straight at me.
"That's not a normal cat!" I cry indignantly. He looks the other way and yawns.
"Thank you!" I say. Then I turn back to the elevator as Tony Stark steps out. He startles when he sees me.
"Oh," I say. "Um, hey, Tony!"
He blinks once. "You have a cat," he says.
"Thanks, Sherlock," I say. "I have a cat. What else is new?"
"You have a cat," he repeats.
"Tony, I'm a shapeshifter. You don't think I'm going to make some friends?" I say, putting on a pouty face.
Tony scowls. "I hate it when you do that. You know, I'm pretty sure someone around here is allergic to cats…"
"Pleeease?" I say.
"I don't know…" Tony says doubtfully.
"He's a stray!" I protest.
"It's a he?" Tony asks. "Does he have a name?"
"Um…" I think, racking my brain. Bucky...Bucky Barnes...Barnes...Barns… Barns! Barns have animals! But who would call a cat Horse?!
"Pig!" I say. "His name is...Pig!"
"Pig?!" Tony says. Bucky hisses at him.
"Alright, alright, you can keep him," Tony sighs. I give a huff of relief and brush past him to the elevator.
"Hey, wait a minute," Tony says. I freeze. Bucky tenses. "Where are the others?"
I turn back around and grimace. "Um...Nat went on a solo mission...and the boys went out for a week to get to know each other?"
Tony frowns. "And...Wanda?"
"She's sick," I say. "Highly contagious. Doesn't want to see anybody, not even Vis."
Tony nods doubtfully. "Okay…" he says. Bucky hisses at him again.
"I'll just be...doing...my normal stuff…" Tony says, backing away from my angry cat-friend.
I hurry into the elevator and press the doors closed button as fast as I can, before Tony thinks of anything else.
Bucky fidgets, wanting to jump down. "Wait," I hiss to him. The doors open and I hurry down the hallway. I open the door to Bucky's room and close it behind me. Bucky springs free and jumps onto his dresser so he's level with my eyes.
"Pig?!" he asks indignantly. "Really?! You're calling me Pig?!"
"I'm sorry!" I cry. "I was thinking of Barnes and then I was thinking of barns and who would call a cat Horse and then I panicked and….ugh!"
Bucky laughs. "So I'm a stray cat named Pig. I've seen weirder."
I give a weak smile. "I'll be back with food later. Don't make too much noise!"
"I won't," Bucky promises, jumping from the dresser to his bed. I leave the room and close the door behind me. As I head to my own room, I check my watch. Six AM...maybe I can squeeze an hour or two of sleep in. I open the door to my room. It's a fairly simple room. Bed, closet, dresser, television, five bookcases, a movie case, a desk, and that's about it. Okay, so the five bookcases aren't normal, but most of them are on various animals and stuff.
Not even bothering to take off my bulletproof over-clothes, I collapse onto the bed and fall into a deep sleep.
"Alli! Wake up!"
I groan and shove a pillow over my head.
"Alli, get out of bed or so help me I'll come in there and claw your eyes out!"
I realize with a start that it's not one of the others banging on my door, but Bucky yowling for me. I leap out of bed, throw my hair back into a sloppy bun and open the door. Bucky is pacing in front of me.
"The others are in training," he says. "Tony told them everyone's excuse for not being here, but Steve is up, Sam is screaming, and Wanda needs help."
"Who's the most urgent?" I ask breathlessly.
"Wanda," he says. "She's a freaking polar bear, Alli, in a seventy-degree room."
I groan and rush into the hallway. I throw open Wanda's door, Bucky close behind. Wanda growls when we enter, but then goes back to sitting in front of a fan. I go to the thermostat.
"How low?" I ask.
"Cold," Wanda pants. "Very cold. And send up some fish. Or seal. Do we have seal? I'm craving seal. Raw, bloody seal…"
"I'll send up some fish," I say as I turn the thermostat to negative ten degrees Fahrenheit. Onto the next person.
"Go tell Sam if he's bored it's not my fault," I say. "And tell both him and Wanda I'll bring up food in a bit." Bucky nods and pads down the hallway, not the least bit in a hurry.
I go to Steve's room and open the door very slowly. Thankfully, he isn't running in circles. He's sitting in the exact middle of the room, staring at me. I close the door quickly.
"How are you doing?" I ask him.
"I am a dog," he says calmly. "Is my shield here?"
"Oh, um…" I trail off, looking around. I spot it on a chair. Someone must have brought it up from the car...but didn't say anything?
"I want to play fetch with it," he informs me. "I have a burning desire to play fetch, and I don't know why."
"Probably because you're a dog," I say. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way to change you back."
"Good," he says.
"I'll send up some food in a little bit," I say. Steve nods, turns three times in a circle, and promptly falls asleep.
Great. Now I have to find food for not only myself, but a cat, a dog, a falcon, a snake, and a polar bear. What on Earth have I gotten myself into?!
Be an Avenger, they said. As a shapeshifter, it'll be fun, they said. Well now I've gotten half the team turned into animals and can't tell the others. Oh, if the press got news of this, I'd be screwed. I can imagine it now: Breaking news! Avengers team member Allison Wilson, aka the Shifter, has gotten Captain America, Black Widow, the Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and the Winter Soldier turned into animals! A shamed Wilson left the Avengers yesterday, claiming it wasn't her fault!
I shake those thoughts out of my head. No, I tell myself. It wasn't my fault. It was that accursed scientist's fault. And he got himself turned into an animal, too. I wonder what they were playing at in the first place, building a machine that could turn people into animals…
I rush down the stairs, not wanting to encounter anyone. Normally we take the elevator, because it's so much faster. I go into the main kitchen area and open the fridge. Perfect...it has everything I need. Three giant fish for Wanda, some more fish for Sam, a whole ham for Nat, some chicken for Steve, and tuna for Bucky. I'm really hoping that the gang wasn't planning on making fish tonight. Or anything meat related in general. I grab a chocolate bar for myself, because I haven't eaten in what seems like days. Then I go upstairs to make the rounds.
Since I've neglected my brother since I dropped him off last night-I mean, early this morning-I stop by his room first. Sam is holding a video game controller in his talons and is attempting to play Mario Kart while flying.
"Hey, sis!" he calls when he sees me. "Buck put this on for me! You can just set the food on my bed." I drop two pieces of fish on his bed.
"See you later," I say. "I'll bring some more food back tonight." I close the door, balancing the rest of the food in one arm.
Steve is up and jumping around. His tongue wags back and forth in time with his tail. On closer inspection, he's attempting to catch a butterfly.
"Here's some food," I say, setting down the chicken. Steve stops jumping. The butterfly flutters out of an open window.
"Thanks!" he barks happily.
"You doing okay?" I ask. Steve nods and starts gobbling down. I smile slightly and leave the room.
I'm completely unprepared for Wanda's room. There are icicles hanging from the ceiling. Someone turned on the sprinkler system, but it's so cold that snow is coming from the sprinklers. Wanda is lounging next to her bed on a pile of snow, watching the news. The remote is next to her. When she sees me, she uses one huge tooth to turn the television off.
"Hey," I say, sitting on the bed and shivering. She looks at the bundle in my arms hopefully. I set three pieces of fish next to her and she looks sad.
"No seal?" she asks.
"Somehow, I don't think we're going to have any seal," I say, laughing.
"Alright," Wanda says, shrugging. She devours one of the fish whole. "I'll see you later."
"I'll bring more food," I tell her. I leave the freezing room with only an entire ham and a single can of tuna. Hmmm…I wonder which one goes to the snake and which to the cat? I think sarcastically. I stop by Nat's room first, since it's right next to Wanda's. The lights are entirely out. The only light in the room is a sliver of sunlight shining through a cracked curtain. I can make out the coiled shape of a boa constrictor, sound asleep. I leave the ham just inside the door and exit the room silently. One stop left.
I open Bucky's door and peer inside. He's laying, curled in a ball, on his bed. When I open the door his head shoots up. "Food?" he asks hopefully. In answer, I hold up the can of tuna. He grins, which looks very strange as he is a cat.
"Great," he says, licking his lips. He springs off the bed and pads towards me. I crack open the can and watch as he eats it.
"Your room is a mess," I say, looking around. Not like a normal messy room, with clothes and dishes, but books are strewn everywhere. Several screens are all emitting various things. Music plays from a radio.
"I can't exactly clean it," Bucky says, rolling his eyes. "I'm trying to catch up with modern literature." I hold up a copy of The Lord of the Rings.
"This isn't exactly modern, you know," I tell him.
"I have a lot of catching up to do!" he meows indignantly. I laugh.
"Alright," I say. "I'm going to go catch up on training. I'll see you tonight."
"With more food?" he asks.
"With more food," I confirm.
"Oh, and, um…" Bucky trails off. "I kinda have an itch I can't reach behind my ear…"
"And?" I say, pausing on my way out the door.
"And…can you scratch it? Please?" he mews.
I sigh and scratch behind his chocolate-brown ears. His tail twitches.
"Thanks," he says. "You can go now."
I shake my head, smiling, and close the door. Hurrying down the stairs so I won't miss a ton of training, I remember the chocolate bar in my pocket and stuff it in my mouth. I burst into the training room. Tony is helping Rhodey with some flying tricks. Vision and Clint, who's here for the week, are talking in another corner.
"Hey, Alli!" Clint calls. "Where is everyone?"
I take a deep breath. "Wanda is sick, Nat's on a mission, and Sam, Steve, and Bucky are taking a vacation."
Clint shrugs. "More food for the rest of us."
"Hey, guys!" Tony calls, holding up his phone. "I just got a call from Thor!"
"And?" Vis asks patiently.
"He's coming back soon!" Tony says.
"Good," Vis says. "I was hoping to discuss his hammer."
"Great," Rhodey says sarcastically. "Now there are two of them."
"Someone get a room ready for him," Tony says. "He could probably use Steve's."
"No!" I say immediately. All four of them look at me.
"I mean...Steve's room is a mess," I lie. "He hasn't cleaned it in months, and I doubt he would like someone touching his stuff, even if it's just Thor."
"Well...he can use one of the guest rooms, I guess," Tony says, going back to his training with Rhodey. Vis turns back to his conversation with Clint.
I turn to go back upstairs all thoughts of training forgotten. I have to keep this a secret…
As the door swings behind me, I hear Rhodey ask, "Hey, who wants fish for dinner?"