Chapter 14 – Lost From When We Wake
Aboard the Quinjet:
Adora remained silent as she flew to the co-ordinates Catra had specified in her note. Her mind was racing, filled with memories of the happy days she had with her friend, and the desperation she felt wanting her back. Catra wasn't going to come back peacefully, this became very clear to her very fast. She feared the only way she'd get Catra away from that place was by force. She didn't want to hurt her, but Catra was starting to force her hand.
Catra was always stubborn. She loved that about her. As she flew, the memories began to flood on back. The good...AND the bad...
1999:
"Adoraaaaaaaaaa." whined out a soft voice. Adora had been tucked into bed tightly when she heard you friend calling out to her, as she rubbed her eyes, she saw Catra standing in front of her mere inches from here face with a pleading look.
"Huh…..what's wrong Catra?" Adora replied, still half asleep.
"I had a bad dream, I can't sleep." the kitten whined out, rubbing her own eyes as Adora sat up.
"Oh….well, here, why don't you sleep in here with me? I'll keep you safe from your bad dreams." Adora replied, giving her friend a hug.
"You mean it Adora?" Catra asked with a smile.
"Uh-huh, I do Catra." Adora confirmed. Catra quickly climbed onto the bed and curled up at the foot of the mattress. "Let's just try not to make a habit of this."
"No promises." Catra purred as she drifted to sleep.
Late 1999:
Adora was sorely lagging behind Catra in the training session HYDRA had out them through. It was intended to be a simple obstacle course for their abilities, but Adora's unique blood had yet to fully develop, so Catra was easily winning with her innate feline capabilities. By the time she had managed to make it halfway, Catra already finished and the HYDRA agent guarding the two called the session off. They dropped down and ran up to stand at attention.
"Adora, would you care to tell me what the HELL that performance was." the agent growled, prompting a scared Adora to try and stammer out a response.
"But sir-" She was cut off by a harsh slap across the face.
"No Buts! You're intended to be perfect so you'd better shape up or I'll-" the agent began before Lorraine caught his arm.
"You'll do what exactly?" she said with a glare. "You will come with me and we will discuss your treatment of MY creations." She dragged the officer out of the room as Adora curled up crying from the slap.
"H-hey, Adora? Are you okay?" Catra asked her friend, walking over and giving her a hug. "I'm sorry, I got too caught up in the competition-"
"I should have done better!" Adora suddenly yelled, startling Catra. "I'm supposed to be perfect, I can't keep messing up like this." She cried.
Catra nuzzled up to her friend to comfort her. "Nobody's really perfect Adora. Just keep trying. The two of us are gonna be amazing."
2001:
It hadn't been very long since the escape from Hydra, and Santos was already pushing Catra and Adora to their limits with a new obstacle course. This was one much harder and more dangerous, with both kids worried that Santos was starting to work them to near death for her own amusement.
Catra and Adora were keeping tied for the majority of the race, but at the midway point, Catra lost her footing very badly and her leg wound up twisted. Catra yowled in pain and clutched in, whimpering. "Catra!" Adora yelled, running back too help her.
"Leave her!" Santos demanded.
"But-"
"She's injured and will only slow you down. Leave her." Santos reiterated. "If she can't keep up then it's her fault. No enemy will give you the time to go back for sentimental reasons."
Adora looked Catra in the eyes sadly, but she obeyed Santos, running the rest of the course and leaving the injured Catra to nurse her leg.
Afterward Catrra was sadly sitting in their room as Adora came over. "Go away." Catra said.
"Catra please-" Adora began to plead.
"Go Away, I'm fine." Catra pouted, hiding her face. "My leg's braced. So I won't be a burden long." She bitterly commented.
"You're not a burden." Adora reassured her.
"You listened to Santos and just LEFT me there. What if she was bluffing, what if it was a test?" Catra blurted out, glaring daggers at Adora.
Adora sighed and hung her head. "I know I know, I screwed up. I'm sorry..."
"Look just...gimme a bit okay?" Catra said, turning away from Adora. Adora shook her head but obeyed her friend, and waited in the room for her friend to be willing to talk to her again.
Present:
That was really the first time Catra and Adora had ever fought. Both of them had honestly hoped it would be the last one. Adora began to think if she could have handled their last encounters any better than she had. Maybe if she had offered to let Catra join her on her mission? Maybe if she hadn't yelled at Catra over the bombs? Whatever other options she had, it was far too late for that.
Even still, Adora held tight onto the hope she could save her lifelong friend, and anyone else Santos had tortured and corrupted. Adora then shook her head and focused herself as she brought the Quinjet in for a landing. She didn't have time to think on the past. All that was left was to look to what was ahead.
The only thing that mattered now was settling things between herself and Catra…
At the Dedicated Co-Ordinates:
Catra sat patiently on a stump, waiting for Adora to finally arrive. She went over every step of her plan up to that point. She got into Adora's head, she got Adora the Co-ordinates, and she knew Adora would be showing up. There's no way she had miscalculated that. The only way for this to fail if if the Avengers came along with her. OF course, Catra had the advantage of knowing Adora more than Adora knew herself at some points.
"Then again," she thought out loud with a sigh. "Technically Adora has the same advantage over me. No, no I can't second guess myself." She groaned and stood up, beginning to pace. "I'm bringing Adora home. Santos...Mother… will surely reward me and finally acknowledge me." Catra looked to the sky and sighed deeply. "I still don't understand it. How did it all go so wrong. Mom loved me at one point….right?"
1998:
Catra had tripped over her own claws and skinned her knee particularly badly, crying as she held her knee and Adora panicked trying to help her. Lorraine heard the commotion and rushed over. "Oh dear, oh my dear Catra are you alright?" she said in a soothing voice, scooping Catra up in her arms and looking at the knee. "That's skinned badly. What happened?"
"I w-was playing with Adora." Catra sniffled, "And I didn't realize how long my claws got...th-they got stuck in the ground and I fell." She explained, continuing to cry.
"Adora, go back to your room for a moment, I'll take care of Catra." Lorraine calmly said, and Adora quickly did what she asked after checking that Catra was going to be okay. Lorraine gently rocked Catra to shush her, before wiping at the injured knee, attempting to clean the wound and her fur. "So you fell, so what." Lorraine said, "Everyone slips at some point dear. You just have to be sure to get right back up, right?" She flashed a smile at her daughter, who nodded, wiping her tears. "Every slip is another chance for us to get better. And you're going to get better, you and Adora both." She bandaged her daughter's knee and gently set her back down. "See, there you go, it's not so bad right?"
"N-no, thanks momma." the kitten replied meekly.
Lorraine knelt down to her daughter's level and gave her a hug. "You and Adora both are destined from great things. As long as you're together, nothing can stop you." she then patted her on the back. "Now go on, go find your best friend. And run carefully this time okay?"
2000:
The two kids looked around their new base fearfully. Not only had they been forcefully dragged from their previous home, but Doctor Santos wasn't saying anything and acting different. It was genuinely scary. Not helping matters were the new uniforms the soldiers had changed into. It was very clear that Santos was entirely serious about leaving HYDRA. As they were guided to another room, Santos arrived to finally address them.
"Children, things are going to be a little different from now on." she began, her voice colder then either of them remembered. "First of all, mistakes will no longer be tolerated." Catra winced as Santos glared right at her. "Second of all, I'm now rating you individually. I only expect the best. The last thing I want is for one of you to weigh the other down as dead weight." Adora went to speak up and Santos put her hand up and shushed her. "Lastly, you are not to talk back to me at any point, is that understood?" The two girls nodded in fear silently. "Good. Dismissed."
2009:
"And now my daughter..." Santos growled, approaching Catra as the doors slammed shut behind her. "You must be disciplined."
Catra tried to yank the doors open before she was struck in the back with a burst of dark red lightning and forced to her knees in pain. "Do you think I want to do this?" Santos yelled out, shocking her again. "I don't want to have to hurt you Catra." She fired another bolt. "If you were only a better daughter, if you only listened to me, I wouldn't have to do this."
Catra winced in pain and tried to stand. That was the most painful feeling she had ever had, she honestly didn't even know what was happening as the shadowy tendrils strung her up and turned her to face her mother. "What the fuck are you..." she groaned out in pain.
Her mother's voice began to distort, sounding deeper with a reverbial whisper behind it. "I am the Weaver of Shadow, the master of Dark Magic." Her eyes briefly glowed as she did, before she shook her head and they returned to normal. "I am nothing more than a humble servant of the God Inperatio. And I am your mother." She dropped Catra to the floor. "Get out of my site, and think on this lesson..."
Catra quickly scrambled out of the room, choking back tears…
Present Day:
Catra was roused from her memories by the sound of a jet overhead. Adora was here.
Standing up, she cracked her neck as she watched the Quinjet land in the distance, and Adora soon entered the clearing. "Hey Adora~" she said with a smirk.
Adora looked around the area. "Heavy forests, lots of trees, unstable terrain. Aiming for a battlefield tactical advantage Catra?" she commented.
Catra giggled, "You know it Adora. What the fuck are you even wearing? Did you seriously make a super-suit?" She asked, before noticing the gold hilt on her back. "Is that a fucking SWORD?!"
Adora gently gripped the hilt with a smile. "The suit was a gift from Stark. The Sword from Thor." she explained, resting her hands on her hips. "It's not too late Catra, we don't have to do this."
"It's far too late Adora." Catra growled. "If I don't bring you back then I'll never be safe from Santos. she'll come after us. She's a lot more dangerous than you realize."
"The Avengers will protect us." Adora reassured.
"I don't give a shit about the Avengers. All I care about is getting you." Catra replied, getting into a hunched combat stance and letting her claws out.
Adora took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm not leaving without you either Catra. I'll bring you back with me to SHIELD even if I have to drag you by your tail." She declared, getting in a combat stance as well.
"You can't win Adora, I've been training since we separated to counter you. You're too slow for my agility." Catra smugly boasted.
Adora smugly smirked as well. "And I've been training with Steve and Natasha to be able to keep up with you Catra." Catra's grin disappeared as she said this. "This is it."
"You and Me Adora. One way or another, this is gonna end here."
The two former friends charged at one another, leaping into battle.
Followers HQ:
Lorraine Santos had finally managed to take the mask off for the first time in a month, she slumped into her chair by her nightstand, resting her face in her hands and looking at the pale complexion her skin had long since begun to form. Looking up in the mirror, she could even see the sorry sight her face had become, all because of that fucking gem.
She looked at the mask in her hands and the gem embedded in the forehead. Everything went wrong the minute she found it. Her life's search for the Black Garnet, and it ruined her life…
1995:
Santos was barely recovered from giving birth when Strucker and his men came in. "No she's still too young!" she pleaded.
"Fraulein, you're well aware that the only way to assure that the experiment is a success is to splice her as early as possible, to allow her abilities to grow in naturally. This was always the plan." Strucker replied as a pair of HYDRA agents wrenched the infant from her hands.
"That was before you made it MY child you son of a bitch!" she yelled back.
Strucker turned to leave. "Then you should not have offered yourself as a surrogate. Do not worry, there's a chance she will survive." he calmly told her.
"Good because if she doesn't I'll fucking kill you!" Lorraine growled. "I would never forgive myself if my child was hurt because of me..."
1998:
Lorraine was restless late at night and decided to check on her children. Adora wasn't her child by birth but as far as she was concerned, she was as much her daughter as Catra was. As she neared the barracks, she heard the two talking.
"Adoraaaaaaaaaa."
"Huh…..what's wrong Catra?"
"I had a bad dream, I can't sleep."
"Oh….well, here, why don't you sleep in here with me? I'll keep you safe from your bad dreams."
"You mean it Adora?"
"Uh-huh, I do Catra. Let's just try not to make a habit of this."
"No promises."
Lorraine slowly opened the door and peeked in just in time to see Adora fast asleep with Catra curled up at the foot of her bed. A smile crept onto her face at the frankly adorable sight, and she decided to let the two sleep.
1999:
Lorraine immediately saw red when the soldier struck Adora in the face, and raised his hand to strike again. She grabbed his wrist in anger. "You will come with me and we will discuss your treatment of MY creations." she growled, dragging the soldier out of the room and slamming him against the wall. "How DARE you."
"You're awfully angry about your weapons-" he began to speak up before she slammed him again.
"They're more than just weapons you stupid bastard. Catra is my daughter, and Adora basically is as well. Don't you ever let me catch you striking them again. Understood?" She growled.
"They're HYDRA property Santos, not just your own." he replied.
Lorraine threw him to the ground. "Even more idiotic, you're making them COMPETE!?" She yelled. "Adora is strength, Catra is speed. The two of them working in tandem would make an unstoppable duo." she angrily explained, kicking the soldier in the side. "If your idiotic antics separate them you WEAKEN them. They're stronger together, never forget that. ARE WE CLEAR!?"
"Crystal.."
2000:
In a long forgotten temple, Lorraine's expedition finally neared their goal. For years she'd been seeking a legendary gemstone that, judging by the stories, was far more powerful than the Tesseract. She'd dedicated much of her free time, not involving her children, to finding this gem for HYDRA.
The Black Garnet, the long forgotten treasure of the Ancient eldritch being Inperatio, Weaver of Shadows, and supposedly it's link to our world. While many in HYDRA dismissed the downright lovecraftian sounding origins of the jewel, Lorraine truly believed it existed. If something that belonged to the Norse gods was real, and Aliens existed, who's to say that Eldritch beings and gods were also not real.
As the expedition entered the large Central chamber, they came across a small box in the center of the room. After checking for any traps, Lorraine slowly opened the box and gasped. Inside was an ornate mask, with the very gem she had been seeking embedded in the forehead. "It IS real." she exclaimed, reaching into the box and taking out the mask. She looked to her followers, "Wait outside, and prep the vehicle." They saluted her and left.
Lorraine turned the mask around in her hands and examined it fully, eventually reaching for and stroking the gem. The moment her fingers touch the Garnet, however, a black-red lightning shot up her arm and pulsed through her whole body, causing her to scream and fall to her knees. As she recovered, she looked at the mask, and suddenly...a voice spoke in her head.
"Ah….finally….a host with which to explore the world of Mortals..." the voice declared, speaking in a distorted whisper. "Human...you know exactly who this is. I can see your inner mind."
"I-Inperatio..." Lorraine said in terror as she felt a pained movement in her skull, as if the tendrils of the Weaver were tying around her brain.
"Indeed. Oh such memories...you're one who desires my power. You despise those you serve." spoke the Eldritch god, before it suddenly chuckled. "You have two creations. A daughter...and a super soldier? Well now… your body isn't the best host but perhaps one of them..."
"No please!" She pleaded, before the lightning pulsed again.
"You don't give the orders here. We're bonded now, you will do as I say. In exchange, I'll grant you power whenever you bear my mask." Inperatio declared. It sounded more of a demand than a promise. "Now then, I'd say its time we break away from Hydra, isn't it?"
2001:
Lorraine knew the being now residing in her had her eyes on Adora, but if both were considered mighty enough it might change her mind. She didn't want to lose any of them. She had attempted to distance herself from the two for when the time came, and was putting the two through far more rigorous training. The current session was an obstacle course race. As was to be expected, Catra and Adora were keeping tied for the majority of the race.
"Hehe, if Adora somehow doesn't work out...perhaps Catra will make a worthy test body. She appears rather skilled." Inperatio admitted in her mind.
Lorraine quickly shot back silently, "No, Catra isn't the one you want...she's...she's useless." She said, wincing as she said it. She didn't want to have to be so cruel, but it was the only way to ensure her daughter wouldn't be damned to the same fate she currently was. At that moment, Catra lost her footing very badly and her leg wound up twisted. Lorraine's heart stopped in worry as Catra yowled in pain.
"Catra!" Adora yelled, running back too help her.
"Leave her!" Lorraine demanded, hiding the regret in her voice.
"But-"
"She's injured and will only slow you down. Leave her...if she can't keep up then it's her fault. No enemy will give you the time to go back for sentimental reasons." she reiterated, and Adora continued onward. She could only hide her tears as Catra limped away to another room. She knew her actions would hurt her daughter...but they were for her own good. Until she could find a way to safely be rid of Inperatio, Catra was in grave danger.
2003:
"DAMN YOU!" Lorraine screamed in a fury, clutching the mask in her inner sanctum. "Why did you make me do that?! How could you make me strike her?!"
"You said yourself..." replied the voice of Inperatio. "She's not worth our time. I tolerate her only because I know you love her, but you can't resist forever Lorraine Santos. Eventually I will have full control."
"I should never have gone looking for you." Lorraine bitterly spit.
"For a 'worthless' child, you show great care for Catra..." the demented god replied.
"N-no I don't." Lorraine responded. "I only don't wish to push Adora away from your greatness."
"Good… I would hate to have to...punish you for disobedience."
Present Day:
Lorraine wanted nothing more than to smash the Garnet and throw the mask into a fire, but she had come much too far. The grip of the Weaving Shadow was far too tight on her mind, to the point it had begun forcing her to wear the mask more and more, and it was obvious this was taking its toll on her mind and body.
"I've got to get Adora back." she said, the distortion beginning to form once again in her voice. "I don't have much time left..." She slowly raised the mask to cover her face, and looked at her weakened, pale hands once more.
"It's too late for me… Catra had better not fail this time..."
To Be Continued…
Bet none of you saw that coming.
Yes. I'm adding depth to the Shadow Weaver analogue of this world. Before anyone gets upset, I would like to remind you this is an AU, so I'm taking some heavy liberties here. Shadow Weaver is so disgustingly evil in the Cartoon, but the MCU (for the most part) is all about its interesting takes on villains. Lemme know how you guys feel about where I'm going with her.
As for this chapter otherwise, this was hard. I wanted both Adora and Catra to have a mix of happy and sad memories, but damn that is hard to do for Adora ^^;
No She-Ra Spoilers Please.
I do not own the MCU or She-Ra.
Please leave feedback if you enjoyed the story. If you didn't, I'd still like fair, constructive feedback on how to improve.
NEXT TIME: The Final Battle between former friends.