A/n: Captain America is out! And I am damn bloody excited! Bare in mind though this story takes place after the Avengers and before the Winter Soldier.
Chapter 15
Zarkis led her through the dim hallways of the ship, the floor vibrating gently beneath her feet as she kept pace with the alien. Her gaze wandered the darkened walls and her senses picked up on tiny sounds and movements around them. If she were to guess, she would say the ship was in flight.
"I must admit you had me worried there, Katherine." he said as they walked. "Your affiliation with Captain America runs deeper than the other Avengers. He…trusted you and you turned your back on him that easily."
"His mistake was to trust me even though he knew what I was." she said drolly. "Captain America served as a useful protection against the likes of your kind and Amanda's minions but now that Amanda's gone and her werewolf army is in my hands, I say this plan worked better. Now I only need for you to hold up your end of your bargain and kill Klaus for me."
"My men are seeking him out even as we speak. Once we're done with New York and the Avengers, Klaus will have no place to hide." he assured her.
"I do love it when a plan comes together." she said, smiling as doors opened and he guided her through them.
Katherine stopped, staring in awe at the main control bridge of the Chitauri ship. She could see New York laid out before them as the ship hovered over the waters. Lady Liberty sat slightly to their right, giving her an indication of their location. She could make out control panels where only a few Chitauri in their actual forms stood, not really manning it but rather guarding it. And on a surface in a corner, encased by an electrical blue field was Captain America's shield.
A floor below, she realised were filled with humans. A metal walkway ahead led to another platform where a single red stone sat. She recognised it from the old Russian pictures she had shown the Avengers during their briefing but it was hard to take in that something that beautiful and small held so much power in it.
Definitely one of Loki's better works, she thought.
"How are we not shot out of the sky yet?" she asked, staring at the New York skyline under the coat of darkness before her.
"Reflective protections, mirrors our surroundings." Zarkis explained. "A similar design to SHIELD's. The same reason we cannot detect their ship and vice versa."
She knew her amazement was evident on her face as she muttered. "Fancy…"
"Once the hour comes, we'll drop the illusion and make our presence known to the humans." Zarkis said, gesturing at a Chitauri by a panel who hissed back in return. "Chaos, I believe, works the best to deliver the humans to my master's feet."
"Is everything in place?" she asked.
"They are ready, all over New York." he said. "Once the blood spills, it will not stop."
She glanced at the moon, seemingly hovering over the statue of Liberty. A few dark clouds were gathering in front of it, blocking out its rays. She could have sworn there were flashes of light within.
"You sure about that?" she asked, strolling over to a panel and drumming her fingers over it. "Something tells me you might want to check in on your men."
He gave her an odd look and finally noticed the dark clouds she noticed. Dread eating away at him, Zarkis hurried to a panel and began pushing several buttons. Hisses and snarls of his mother tongue escaped him as he received no reply from his soldiers positioned in the city.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Katherine spun swiftly to the Chitauri standing by the control panel and yanking out the dagger, sunk it deep into its chest. The creature gave a scream of pain before doubling over and collapsing to her feet. She ignored it and Zarkis' enraged cry as he realised what was going on and ran the blood-stained dagger straight into the machine.
"No!" Zarkis propelled himself across the room and straight into her, shoving her away from the panel but the damage was done.
~.~
And there it was. That big ugly thing Tony remembered seeing.
It hovered over the bay, flickering into existence as its invisibility shield vanished. Tony checked his HDU and smirked when he noticed a familiar signal beeping strongly within.
"Well, I'll be damned." he muttered. "She actually did it. Alright, team. Let's move in."
As he blasted straight at the main body of the Chitauri ship, he knew Natasha, Clint and Bruce were positioned somewhere in the city, poised to take down the werewolves and Chitauris holding several humans captive. A part of the ship rocked with a lightning strike and he could make out a red-caped man landing on the helm.
~.~
"5, 4, 3, 2…1."
The ground shook again and this time, with a viciousness that resembled an explosion. Steve opened his eyes as the cuffs holding his arms suddenly snapped open, dropping him to the ground with groan. Before he even had time to recover, the ship rocked to a side.
Regaining his footing, he made his way to the door before it opened to admit two Chitauri guards. He attacked before they could even register his escape.
He snapped the neck of one and grabbed its weapon and used it to fire at its buddy before jabbing it into the third alien that came through the door. As the ship shuddered from an external attack, Steve picked up his stride and sprinted to the bridge, instinctively following the sound of a fight occurring behind closed doors.
He kicked the doors open and came upon the sight of Katherine grappling with a Chitauri. Another aimed its spear at her and fired a laser at her only for her to dodge, letting its own comrade take the shot. She was on it in a flash, ripping out its throat with a snarl.
"Steve, a little help would be great!" she shouted as a Chitauri leapt on her. She brought up the alien weapon to fend it off, falling on her back to kick it off her. Rolling to her feet, she jabbed the sharp end of the weapon into its gut and fired, obliterating its body.
"I am sorry." he said sarcastically, punching a Chitauri and tossing it into the fizzing machinery, probably her handy work. "I am still trying to grasp whose side you are on!"
"Sarcasm isn't you, Cap." she retorted. "Besides, if you're going to be snappy at someone, take it out on Stark. This was his idea!"
Somehow he wasn't surprised to hear that. Looking across the room, his eyes rested on his shield and in easy fluid strides, he reached for it. A Chitauri tried attacking him from behind but he merely slammed it into the electrical field surrounding it, short-circuiting it in the process. He grabbed his shield and sent it flying at the hoard of Chitauri advancing on the vampire.
Nodding her thanks, Katherine turned to deal with the next alien and was promptly backhanded into a wall by Zarkis. She grunted in pain as she felt the metal dent under her body. As she struggled to get up, hot pain lanced through her body and she was certain several ribs were broken.
"Bitch!" Zarkis snarled, stalking up to her. "You have no idea what you have done!"
"S-sure I-I do." she rasped as she pulled herself to her feet. "Pretty sure I spoiled your little plans, didn't I."
He swung a punch at her, forcing her to duck and roll under his arm. Her body screamed in protest but she forced it into motion as she evaded his next kicks and punches and retaliated with equal viciousness. Pulling out the ivory dagger, she drove it into his chest and pushed him back, sending Zarkis over the railing and into the pit of humans below. She made to go after him but was yanked back by another Chitauri that dug its claws into her shoulder. As she fought it off, she could make out Zarkis emerging on the platform where the stone sat. He hunched over the stone, his blood tainting the platform as he pulled the dagger from his chest. Instantly, she knew what he intended to do.
An eerie red glow began emitting from the stone as a single blood drop fell on it. And another and another.
"Steve!" she shouted, pivoting on her heel and snapping off the claw digging into her shoulder. As the alien shrieked in pain, she snapped its neck. "We have a problem!"
He looked up from his own fight and pulling back his arm, he angled his shield to knock Zarkis away. His aim was true and had Zarkis been human, his head would have been taken off but instead the shield smacked into his temple and knocked him away from the stone.
Katherine sprinted onto the platform and reached for the stone only to be propelled backwards by unseen force field. A red light shot out from the stone, breaching the ceiling and disappearing into the sky in a pillar of blood.
"You're too late, vampire." Zarkis laughed, a hand over his chest as he stood up weakly. "You can't stop it now. Amanda told me everything I needed to know. The stone will demand for more blood and it will consume everything around it, including you. And once it is sated, then….Thanos shall walk through the veils of space and…earth shall be his."
"Then it is too bad you won't be around to see it fail." she snarled, catching him by his throat and tearing it open. Instantly, warm tainted blood gushed into her mouth and she felt the veins around her eyes emerged.
"Katherine!"
Steve's voice cut through the rising bloodlust swirling through her and with a sigh, she dropped the body and turned to him, slowly wiping the man's blood from her mouth and chin. Steve stared at her as he reached for his shield, his expression giving away nothing. She had no regrets that he has, for the first time, seen her true vampire façade. Drawing in another breath to calm her urge to kill, she felt the veins and her black eyes subsiding.
"The stone has been activated with Zarkis's blood." she said. "It'll start consuming everything around it for power."
"Did he happen to mention how we can shut it down?" Steve asked, looking up at the red pillar.
A tremor shook the ship and they could only guess it was only a matter of minutes before it nose-dived from the sky and into the waters below.
"Try your shield." she suggested.
Nodding, Steve motioned for her to stand back and taking a few steps back himself, he threw his shield only to have it bounce off the invisible force field with little effect.
"No use. It's protected by magic." he said as he caught his shield.
A sudden beam shot out from the centre of the stone, forcing them to duck as it engulfed the humans in the pit around it in a red glow. Like puppets, the humans' bodies jerked back, their mouths opening in a silent scream as the stone drew on their energy. The pillar of light bursting into the sky expanded.
"Well, fuck." Katherine muttered.
Another explosion rang out, this time from the outside and creating a hole in the ceiling. The familiar gold and red suit of Tony Stark blazed through the newly created exit hole, his repulsors shooting out beams at the Chitauris scrambling onto the platform.
"Hello, kids. Missed me?" was the millionaire's way of announcing his arrival.
"Tony, what's the status on ground?" Steve asked.
"Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk are on ground point, taking out the werewolves and ground soldiers. Thor has our backs in the sky. Fury is ready to blow this bird once we are clear." Tony said, handling them earpieces.
Steve fitted his in and immediately made contact. "Commander Fury, this is Captain Rogers. There are civilians on-board the mothership. Do not fire, I repeat. Do not fire."
"Copy that, Captain. What are your plans to handle that big burst of light coming from your location then?" Fury replied.
"Um, we're working on it." was all Steve would say.
"Stand back." Tony ordered, raising his arms as his repulsors charged up.
"That won't work." Katherine interjected quickly. "The stone is protected by magic and it would take powerful magic to destroy it."
"Lovely." Ironman lowered his arms. "Where's Thor's hammer when you need it?"
Katherine then spotted the blood-stained dagger on the floor and picked it up. "Why do we need a magic hammer when we have a magic knife?"
"Katherine, what are you doing? You could kill yourself." Steve said moving to stop her as she stepped up to the platform.
"Vampire, remember." she said, glancing at the pulsing stone and swallowed deeply. "Not a lot of things can kill me."
"This might." he said, staring intensely at her.
"Aw, what's the matter, Cap? Worried about little old me?" she teased, expertly twirling the knife over and over its edge and hilt.
"Hey, guys. Save the foreplay for later, alright." Tony interrupted. "JARVIS has control over the mothership controls and I am putting her down on the water but none of that will mean anything if that little rock tears open a portal to space."
Katherine rolled her eyes before sombrely nodding. "Once I cut through the stone, that should cut off the energy connection. Get those humans to safety. You know, in case this place blows up."
Steve did not like the nonchalant manner she had said that last part. "Katherine."
She looked at him, her eyes locking on his concern blues. "Steve, this is my choice."
That struck a familiar chord and wisely he nodded. Despite knowing what she was and that she was a near immortal, that did not make it any easier to let her do this alone. But he told himself he would be a hypocrite to go back on his own belief.
"Just come back alive." he said before he ran off the platform. Tony had landed on the main platform, trying to repair some of the controls panels so that he could manoeuver the ship to shallow waters.
"What I do best." she muttered even though he couldn't hear her as she turned her attention back to the pulsating rock. Clenching the dagger tightly in her hand, she raised it, tip pointed downwards and murmured. "Here goes nothing." or everything.
She brought down the blade and the white edge bit into the hard surface with little resistance. The reaction was instantaneous. A ripple effect of energy flared outwards as the energy connection broke, threatening to toss her aside but Katherine held on, her hands turning pale white. From the corner of her eye, she could make out Steve herding the dazed people from the pit to safety.
Now that its connection was lost, she could feel the magic in the stone trying to draw energy from her. And failed.
"Katherine, time to go!" Tony shouted.
"Not yet!" she gritted back.
Panting heavily, she pulled out the ivory blade and brought it down again this time thrusting all her remaining strength into it. A jagged crack emerged down the centre of the stone and slowly it spilt into two. Without a core to stabilise it, the pillar of energy began to collapse.
As her strength flooded out of her body in a single rush, Katherine's fingers fell limp from the knife's hilt and she collapsed to the ground. Her vision dimmed and she could hear voices of spirits wailing at her and then a singular familiar man's voice calling out to her.
Even as her consciousness faded away into the welcoming abyss, she wondered if this one final deed was enough to save her condemned soul.
A/N: Evidently not. Oh well. I always thought Katherine's best features is her ability to do the unexpected.