The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Old Friend

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

I said goodbye to Thor and then went to talk to my dad.

As I should have probably guessed, he was tinkering with his suit in the lab when I found him.

"Hey, Dad." I smiled at him as I walked through the glass doors into the cluttered workspace.

"Hey, kid. How are you holding up?" He dropped his tools and turned to me.

I shrugged. "Pretty good. Just a little shaken up."

"Are you sure? You seem to have something on your mind. Did something else happen that you haven't told me about?"

I sighed. How did he always know?

"When Ultron took me, he told me that Hydra still had information on me, and they've been tracking me, planning to take me back." I relented, knowing there was no use in hiding it.

His eyes widened. "You're sure he wasn't lying? I had Jarvis clean out their servers after I got you back. Any information they had on you should have been destroyed."

I shook my head. "He had the serum, Dad. The only thing on planet Earth that can cancel out my magic. That's why I couldn't escape on my own."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. It's something he does when he concentrates. "That's really not good..." He murmured.

"Really? You don't say!" I rolled my eyes at his statement.

"Look, everything will be fine. We'll have to be more cautious from now on. I won't let them take you away again." He promised, his hands on my shoulders.

"Thanks, Dad." I hugged him tightly, hoping he was right.

~~~Tony's pov~~~

Well, that news just terrified me to my very core.

Hydra still had data on her. Her magic. And as if that wasn't bad enough, they also have the exact thing that cancels out her powers.

If they come after her with that, she won't be able to defend herself.

This is not good. Not good at all.

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

After talking to Dad for a few more minutes, I went to my new room.

Don't get me wrong. I loved my room back at Avengers Tower. This one's just homier.

Now that I don't have to hide who I am anymore, I can decorate my room with pictures of me and my dad from when I was a kid and stuff like that.

After thinking a bit more about Hydra, I looked at the time and saw it was only 4:30.

There's still another four and a half hours until I'm supposed to meet Loki.

That's just enough time to pick out an outfit and video call some old friends.

I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop to call them.

Please answer!

I heard a small ding as the call went through, and his picture showed up on the computer screen.

"Hey, Catherine! Long time no see!"

I smiled at the sight of my friend.

"Hey, Coulson! It's been too long! How are you doing?"

"Well, uh... It's complicated. A lot of drama is happening between the team. Bobbi and Mack turned out to be spies from another Shield branch, and there was a misunderstanding. And judging by the fact that you're alive, I'd say Project Theta didn't go to waste."

"No, it most certainly did not. And also, I told you something was up with them! Why didn't you listen to the girl who can actually read minds?" I asked, not entirely surprised by the Bobbi and Mack development.

"Haha. Okay, fine. I'll admit it. I should have listened to your advice when it came to them." He rolled his eyes playfully.

Phil and I have been friends since the day he wanted to meet with dad about the Iron Man suit back in 2009. I was a part of the project that brought him back. Project Tahiti. Thankfully, it worked.

I've become close friends with the other members of the team as well. Skye and Jemma have become like sisters to me.

"So, tell me everything. What's been happening since we last checked in?" I asked.

"Well, Skye's dad turned out to be a semi-good guy and saved her life after her mother tried to kill her. She has powers now. Simmons has gone missing. Not entirely sure what happened to her. I got my hand cut off, and Ward is still working for Hydra." He summarized.

That... I...

Wow.

"You lost your hand?! Skye has powers?! And Jemma's missing?! What the hell have you guys been up to?!" I exploded.

"Oh, and another thing, she doesn't go by Skye anymore. It's Daisy now." He added.

I just sat there in shock.

What the hell.

"Catherine? You there?" Coulson tried to get my attention.

I shook my head, snapping back to reality. "Yeah. I'm here. Do you guys need any help? Because you know I'd be more than happy to come and visit." I offered.

"No, that's okay. But I promise, if anything comes up, I'll be sure to call you."

I sat there and chatted with him for another few hours, not even realizing how much time had gone by.

"Oh. Wow. It's already 8:25? I guess time flies when you're catching up with your friends. I need to go, but it was great seeing you again, Phil." I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I need to get back to some work. See you soon, Catherine!" He waved, and then the call ended.

I sighed, falling back into my chair.

Let me get this straight.

Skye, or uh, Daisy, finally met her birth parents and her mother tried to kill her. Her father was a psychopath, but he saved her anyway and killed her mother.

She has earthquake powers now. She's what they call an Inhuman. That's not strange...

And Jemma's missing! She was eaten by a rock! A magical rock, but a rock nonetheless! And just when she and Fitz started admitting feelings to each other...

And finally, Phil got his freaking hand chopped off with an axe! How the hell did that even happen?!

I shook off the confusion and realized something.

I needed to get ready for my date!