Chapter 29: Party time?
While Clint was being tended to at Avengers Tower, Adora and Catra decided to go out for a while. It would still be a while before the Victory Party, as Tony had called it, so they claimed to be heading out for some fresh air. Of course, that was just the excuse. In reality, Catra wanted to confront Strucker in prison.
"That's a terrible idea Catra." Adora deadpanned. "The last thing we need is to let that psycho into our heads."
"I know Adora, but he knows a lot about us and-" Catra began to debate before her voice was caught in her throat.
Adora understood exactly what she was about to say. "Your mother." Catra sheepishly nodded, causing a tired sigh from Adora. "I guess I see your point Catra. Alright, we'll see if we can get permission to meet with him, but I'm not gonna let you do anything to him. We do this by the book." She told her sternly.
"What do I look like, a lunatic?" Catra asked incredulously. "I just wanna talk to him, I'm not gonna lay a claw on him at all."
"Alright, just as long as we're on the same page." Adora confirmed, putting her arm around Catra. "He's being held under NATO's custody in a prison cell. I can get us access."
As she promised, Adora managed to get herself and Catra access to meet with Baron Strucker, silently walking towards his cell. The two were, justifiably, on edge. Aside from the attack on his castle, the two hadn't seen Strucker since their childhood, and thus barely remembered him. That being said, they were still not going to let their guards down, Adora especially.
Eventually they came to his Cell, and stood outside the bars. Strucker himself was reading on his bed before he caught sight of them. "Well now. The Prodigal daughters return." he sarcastically said, closing his book.
"Y'know that really doesn't work as much as 'prodigal son' Baron…" Catra deadpanned.
"The point still stands." Strucker continued, sitting up. "It's been far too long. To think the next time we would meet after Lorra stole you from us, you would apprehend me."
Adora scoffed, "Yeah that's because we're where we really belong. With the Avengers."
"Do you now?" Strucker chuckled. "Because honestly it seems the only one of you two who's got all she wants is you Adora." Catra's ears fell slightly as Adora glared daggers at him. "Don't cry kitten. No matter how she acted or what that accursed relic turned her into, your mother was a good woman. She'd have been a wonderful asset to us had she not found the Garnet."
"You don't know what kind of woman my mother was!" Catra snapped at him. Adora moved over quickly and hugged her to try and settle her as she continued. "Don't you fucking dare talk like you knew her."
"But I did, fraulein. I knew her better than either of you did." Strucker said, walking over to the bars. "She was a strange one. Despite the experiments, and HYDRA's goal, Lorra was a good woman at heart." He began to pace around in the cell. "I remember when you were born Catra. She gave us no end of grief before we began your enhancement. Said she would kill me if you didn't survive the process."
"Lucky you." Catra hissed.
Strucker continued, "Even Adora, the one we grew in a test tube with salvaged DNA, she treated you as her own daughter."
"I'd almost feel sympathetic if she hadn't stolen genetic material from Sgt. Barnes…" Adora growled at him.
"Ah yes, the Winter Soldier. I believe his genetics are what allowed Catra to survive the process." Strucker explained. "You both could have been magnificent, and led Hydra to a better age."
"I guess we're fortunate then." Catra replied, turning her back on Strucker. "I think I've heard enough Adora. He's got nothing important to tell us."
"Yeah no kidding." Adora said, beginning to live. "Enjoy your life sentence Strucker. Looks like we finally cut off the last head." The two left the prison, Strucker chuckling to himself as he walked back to his bed and laid back down.
"Your children have become strong women, Lorra." He said to himself as he continued his book.
The two left the prison, rather shaken up from their encounter with Strucker. So much so that Adora found herself holding Catra close without even noticing. "Hey Adora, you gonna let me get feeling back in my arm or what?" Catra quipped, prompting Adora to blush.
"Yeah, but don't pretend you don't like being so close to me." Adora replied in a flirty tone of voice. This was responded to with purring from Catra, who nuzzled up to her girlfriend. "Let's just get home. I told you it was a bad idea to go see that nutcase."
"Adora...I really hate when you're right…" Catra groaned, giving Adora a shove.
"So, all the time?" Adora quipped back, giving her a shove as well.
It didn't take the two long to make it back to Avengers tower. As they arrived they noticed Clint was back on his feet, and seemed to be much better than when they last saw him. Adora couldn't help but run over and hug him. "Nice to see Dr. Cho got you back on your feet Uncle Clint." She said happily as Catra walked over and flopped on a nearby couch.
"Yeah, all it took was some fake skin over a massive gaping wound." Clint quipped. "Catra don't shed on the couch, you know Tony hates that." Catra rolled her eyes and flipped Clint off, but she was still smiling so it was all in good fun.
"Whatever you say Clint. Keep getting hurt like that and you're gonna be more plastic than an action figure." She quipped right back.
"Hey it's better than bleeding to death." Clint replied, walking over. "What about you two, where'd you get off to?"
Adora sat down on the couch next, and Catra shifted over to lay her head on Adora's lap. "You know, just around town." She said vaguely.
"Adora. You can't lie to save your life." Clint deadpanned. "Where did you really go."
"We went to speak to Strucker." Catra admitted. "Now before you get mad, I just wanted to know about what my mom was like before."
Clint nodded, "Did you get anything useful?"
"Not a damn thing." Catra admitted.
"Long story short, the guy's an arrogant prick." Adora added. "Speaking of HYDRA, we got anything on those enhanced?"
"Yeah, we do." Steve's voice called over, the super soldier walking to join the group. "Their names are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. They're from Sokovia."
"Sokovia? Yeah I heard about it." Catra said. "Mom talked about it being a Warzone."
"Nowhere important but on the way to everywhere important." Adora finished.
"The two of them apparently volunteered for Strucker's experiments. He's got super speed and she appears to have psychic powers." Steve continued. "And considering the fact they came after us to begin with we obviously haven't seen the last of them."
"Fun." Adora groaned, rolling her eyes. "She can screw with your mind and he can clock you before you even see him."
"Hits like a truck too." Clint commented. "Though you two already know that."
Catra sat up and stretched. "On another note, where's Stark?" She asked.
"Working on something with Bruce. The two haven't come down for a while." Clint admitted.
"Probably nerd stuff." Catra commented, yawning. "Hope he's at least done in his cave by the time of the party."
"He will be Catra. He's running it." Adora quipped. "I should probably dig out the dress I wore a couple years back."
Catra purred. "That was a sexy dress." she teased.
"You looked good in your suit, Wildcat." Adora teased back.
Clint gave off a loud groan. "Alright girls save it for the bedroom." He deadpanned, ducking under the pillow that flew right for his face.
Days later, the party was in full swing. The Avengers had all gathered together, and several of their friends were there too. For example, Adora finally got to meet Colonel James Rhodes, the pilot of the War Machine armor, and a longtime friend of Tony Stark. Even Sam came by, and was playing pool with Steve.
Adora had indeed fished out her fancy dress from the Ball years ago, and Catra put her old suit on. Although this time Adora insisted on her doing up the tie properly. The two were just hanging out by the bar, casually chatting with a few of the other guests. There were quite a few questions for Catra, mostly about her feline features and how she ended up with the Avengers. Adora stayed supportive as Catra answered the questions truthfully, but not descriptively. Whenever she was pressed for more information, Adora made it clear that it wasn't a comfortable subject for Catra, and the topic was eventually dropped. The two soon began to wander around the penthouse, mingling with the various guests. Eventually, they made their way over to Tony, Steve and Rhodes, who were in the middle of Rhodes telling a story.
"-But the suit can take the weight, right? So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet. And I'm like 'Boom, you looking for this?'" He finished up as they arrived. Tony and Thor seemed to be waiting for a punchline, but when he didn't get a response he repeated. "'Boom, you looing for-' Why do I even talk to you guys. Everywhere else, that story kills."
"That's the whole Story?" Thor asked, a look of confusion on his face.
"Yeah. It's a War Machine story." Rhodes asked, incredulous as Adora tried to stifle a laugh at the awkward scene.
"Oh, it's very good then." Thor said, attempting to sound impressed, despite it being clear that he wasn't. Rhodes rolled his eyes as Thor continued with a forced chuckle. "It's impressive."
"Quality save." Rhodes said, sarcastically.
"I'm sure it was impressive James." Adora said, trying to reassure him, before everyone changed the awkward subject. "So Tony, where's Pepper? Is she not attending?"
"No." Tony said, a bit embarrassed.
"What about Jane?" Maria Hill asked the two. "No ladies today, gentlemen?"
"Ms. Potts has a company to run." Tony explained.
"Yes and I'm not even sure what country Jane's in." Thor admitted. "Her work on the Convergence has made her the world's most foremost Astronomer."
"And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth." Tony added.
"There's even talk of Jane getting a, um, 'Nobel Prize'." Thor said, sipping his drink.
"Yeah they must be busy, because they would hate to miss you guys getting together." Maria quipped, before faking a cough and slipping in a "testosterone."
"If they weren't already dumped, they would be if the two heard this little contest." Catra said to Adora under her breath, prompting Adora to snort a laugh. The two of them eventually left the pair, Catra snickering as she caught the two continuing to compare girlfriends. They soon made their way over to Steve and Sam, who were casually talking while overlooking the party.
"You find a place in Brooklyn yet?" Sam asked him.
"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn." Steve admitted.
"Yeah well Home is Home you know." Sam said, noticing the two girls coming over. "How's it going girls."
"Enjoying a relaxing evening for once." Adora replied with a smile.
"No kidding. It's nice to have a night where we aren't being shot at. You missed a fun day." Catra added.
"Nah, I'm no Avenger." Sam deadpanned. "Besides I'm busy on our little missing person's case."
Catra nodded, "No luck finding him?" she asked Sam.
"Nothing. He's good at disappearing…" Sam admitted.
"Catra, we'll find Bucky." Steve reassured her. "Don't you worry, I want to find him as much as you do."
"Still, what are the odds that Adora and Catra were the children of two Howling commandos." Sam noted. Steve noticed Thor waving him over and excused himself to go mingle with Thor and some war veterans. "You holding up alright Catra?"
"I'm doing fine." Catra said, a bit defensively. "I have my Adora."
Adora rolled her eyes and put her arm around Catra. "As long as we're together, we can get through anything."
"You're good for each other." Sam noted. "I've only known you less than a year and I can already see it."
"Thanks Sam." Adora replied with a smile. "Come on Catra, let's enjoy the rest of the party. Maybe I'll drag you to the dance floor this time." Catra purred and grabbed Adora's hand.
"Show me your moves, Blondie."
Once the crowd had dispersed, the Avengers were all gathered in the lounge area, around a coffee table that Thor had set Mjolnir down on. They had gotten into a discussion about the hammer while a number of the Avengers were good and buzzed. "But it's a trick." Clint insisted, spinning a drumstick in his fingers.
"No, No it's much more than that." Thor said with a chuckle, pouring himself a little more Asgardian booze.
"'Ah, whosoever be he worthy may haveth the power!'" Clint mocked in a faux booming voice. "Whatever man! It's a trick."
Thor laughed and motioned to the hammer. "Be my guest." Everyone went quiet. "Come on then."
"Really?" Clint asked, putting the Drumsticks together in his left hand.
"Yeah." Tony insisted. Clint shrugged and stood up, walking around to the handle.
"Oh this is gonna be beautiful." Rhodes said with a smirk.
"Good luck Arrow Boy." Catra teased.
"Clint we know you've had a tough week. Won't hold it against you if you have trouble getting it up." Tony joked.
Everyone laughed as Clint reached for the Hammer. "You know I've seen this before right?" Clint asked Thor, who simply chuckled. He gripped the handle one handed and gave a pull. It, of course, didn't so much as budge. He laughed as he grunted, pulling on it more. "I still don't know how you do it."
"Smell the silent Judgment?" Tony quipped when Clint finally let go.
"Please, Stark, by all means." Clint said, motioning to Tony as he sat down.
Not willing to let a challenge go, Tony stood up. Everyone murmured or laughed, ready to watch him make an ass out of himself. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics." He grabbed the hammer with both hands and wrapping the tail around his wrist. "Right, so if I lift this, I then rule Asgard?"
"Yes, of course." Thor said with a smirk.
"I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta." Tony quipped, Adora groaning at his bad joke. Then he pulled, and the Hammer didn't move at all as everyone expected. He unwrapped the tail fro his wrist and walked off. "I'll be right back." He eventually returned wearing one of his Iron Man gloves, gripping the hammer again and pulling, trying to use the jets in the glove for more leverage. Eventually, Rhodes got one of his War Machine gloves and also tried to lift at the same time as Tony.
"Are you even pulling?" Rhodes joked as neither of them got it moving.
"Are you on my team?" Tony shot back.
"Just represent, Pull!" Rhodes said, as they both tried to no avail.
Bruce tried next, grabbing it with both hands and putting a foot on the table. He pulled as hard as he can, eventually Yelling and pretending to Hulk out as he let go, prompting the Avengers to all laugh, even if some of the non-Avengers exchanged worried looks.
"Hey Catra, give it a go." Adora said, shoving Catra towards it.
"What about you, Hairpoof?" She replied, walking over and grabbing the handle.
"After what happened last year I really don't wanna risk it." Adora admitted.
"Wuss." Catra said, pulling on the hammer. It didn't move for her either, so she put both feet on the table and dug her claws in, pulling even harder. She made rather adorable angry cat noises as she tried to pull, until her grip slipped off the handle and she fell over backwards with a surprised meow, landing on Adora's lap and causing the assembled Avengers to laugh. She looked hilariously embarrassed and flipped off Mjolnir as Adora gently pet her head. "Fuck it, Adora, you are gonna try it."
"Fiiiine." Adora commented, dropping Catra who made another surprised meow sound and sheepishly got back on the couch. Adora walked over and gripped the Hammer in one hand and tugged only once. The Hammer didn't even move. "See? Called it." She said, immediately giving up and sitting with her girlfriend.
Steve then got up and walked over, roiling up his sleeves. "Go ahead Steve. No pressure." Tony said, having settled back down with another drink.
"Come on Cap, you can do it." Clint cheered. Steve gripped the hammer and pulled. Adora could have sworn she saw it shake a bit, but Steve could not lift the hammer either.
"Well, if Captain America can't even lift it, I feel a bit better." She said, Catra still pouting.
Steve eventually stopped and put up his hands in resignation. Thor nervously laughed, having also seen it move slightly. "Nothing." Everyone then turned to Natasha, Banner motioning for her to give a go and even Thor asked, "Widow?"
"Oh, no, no. That's not a question I need answered." She said, leaning back and drinking from her beer.
"All Deference to the Man Who Wouldn't Be King, but it's rigged." Tony declared.
Clint patted Tony on the shoulder. "You bet your ass."
"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria teased.
"Did you tell everyone about that." Steve asked Tony, annoyed.
Tony pointedly didn't answer but continued, "The Handle's imprinted right? Like a security Code?" He asked. "'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, The literal translation?"
"Yes. It's a very, very interesting Theory." Thor commented, standing up. "I have a simpler one." He gripped the handle and lifted his hammer with ease, one handed. He tossed the hammer in the air and caught it by the handle. "You're all not worthy." Everyone either groaned or chuckled….and then a high-pitched noise rung our through the entire penthouse. Catra yelped and covered her sensitive ears in pain, wincing badly. Everyone looked around for the source of the noise, and a soft tapping of metal against the floor could be heard.
"Worthy…?" a voice spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. Adora's eyes went wide at the sight of what looked like an Iron-man suit made out of scrap metal moving on its own, slowly turning to face them with its glowing blue eyes. "How could you be worthy….you're all killers."
"Stark?" Steve nervously asked.
Tony quickly began accessing a datapad. "JARVIS. Robot Legionnaire OS, we've got a bugged suit…"
"I'm sorry, I was asleep…" the machine said, looking around almost in a daze. "Or I was a…..dream? There was this….terrible noise." It gripped its head. "And I was tangled in...in….strings." The machine looked at the wires hanging from its body. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy." Adora went white at the thought this machine had murdered someone, and slowly began to reach for a gun.
"You killed someone?" Steve asked, beginning to get worried as well. Thor gripped Mjolnir tighter.
"Catra...where did Emily go?" Adora quietly asked.
"This isn't Emily. It can't be." Catra quietly replied.
"Wouldn't have been my first call." It said, sounding disturbingly casual about discussing death. "But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."
"Who sent you." Thor asked the machine.
The machine responded by playing back a voice recording. "I see a suit of armor around the world." Everyone looked at Tony, instantly recognizing his voice.
"Ultron!" Bruce suddenly said in realization.
"In the flesh. Or no, not yet." The machine, now identified, said quickly. Natasha slowly turned to face Bruce. "Not this...Chrysallis."
"Tony, Bruce, What the fuck did you do." Adora asked the two.
"But I'm ready." Ultron continued. "I'm on Mission."
Natasha clicked back the hammer on her pistol. "What mission." She asked.
Ultron looked directly at the Avenger. "Peace in our time." As he finished speaking, the walls burst open, and the Iron Legion charged in.
To Be Continued….
He's here. I've honestly been pretty excited to write Ultron. I'm not the biggest fan of his portrayal in the movie, but I can't deny that he was damn entertaining and perfectly voiced. I just wish he was as intimidating as he is in the comics. I went back and forth on where to end this chapter before eventually deciding on the point I did. I was originally planning to end it after Ultron's first line. Then I just kept writing.
I'm not too please with the Strucker scene as well. I wanted to write with him because of his role in the fan fiction's backstory...but man the MCU dropped the ball with him…
I DID have fun writing the Avenger's party and the Hammer-lifting contest. I hope you enjoyed how Catra and Adora's attempts went.
I do not won the MCU or She-Ra.
Feel free to leave a review if you're enjoying. I love hearing feedback and it helps me adjust me writing style.
NEXT TIME: Ultron Unleashed.