Cheshire: The Exile

Chapter Four

Silence. That's all I hear as I struggle to wake up. Odd, I usually hear Angel banging around somewhere in the apartment.

Wait a second...Steve! He knocked me out!

"Katrine, you really need to wake up now."

Angel's voice reaches my ears, but it sounds forced.

I roll over and greet the floor.

"Ow."

What happened to that Earth saying that cats land on their paws?

Lifting my head from where it rested against the floor I look toward what seems to be a door.

Angel is standing there, with a sad look on her face.

"I'm sorry Katrine. They forced me to bring you here."

I lay my head back down, pushing my cheek against the cold floor.

"Are you alright?"

I groan and sit up pressing my back against the unforgiving steel of the bench I had been lying on.

"Did you want to change clothes?"

"Yeah." I reply simply. I wasn't going to waste my breath, when I was feeling like a ton of bricks hit me full force.

Angel returns a moment later with a bag.

"Come on, follow me, Katrine."

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A few minutes later, I was changed and ready to get on with the day.

Angel and I are walking side by side, and every time we pass someone, they turn to look at us.

"Why are they staring, Angel?"

Angel apparently didn't take notice of all the looks being sent our way and right as we are passing by a decently tall man with glasses, Angel blushes and turns when she catches him looking at her.

"Oo Lala. Someone's crushing."

Angel glares at me, and continues to walk.

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We walk up a short set of stairs to a large round table where there were five men seated around it and they appeared to be arguing. There was Fury looking out the floor to ceiling windows. A man with a small beard and black hair is smirking at another man wearing armor.
It wasn't Wonderland armor, but looks like silver fishscales weaved together.

Another man (There are seemingly a lot of men here), is polishing a weapon that I recognized as a bow and arrow. Interesting choice. Has short brown cropped hair in comparison to the one wearing armor, who in turn has long straggly blonde hair.

And then there was Steve. He was looking down at some cards that were spread across the table.

"Hey guys. I brought Katrine." Angel says and takes a seat next to the armor guy.

All eyes turn to me. Even Fury was watching me.

"Who's she?" the one who was smirking asks Angel.

"Who's you?" I reply, my inner Cheshire coming out in those two words.

"I asked first."

"Well I asked first firstly, while you asked second secondly."
Ah it's so much fun seeing the annoyed look on his face.

"Are you trying to confuse me?"

I smile, "Depends. Is it working?"

Angel can't contain herself and is basically not breathing, she's laughing so hard.

"Now you guys see what I have to put up with!"
She says once she calms down.

I place a hand over my heart staggering back , "How dare you wound my pride you mongrel!" I say dramatically.

Even Fury smiles at that before he gets serious again.

"So what's the deal with bringing me onto this whacamicallit?"

Angel sighs and rests her chin in her head. "Katrine, they want to know who you are exactly."

I sigh. Figures.

"No." I blantly refuse. It is my secret, and I will not be forced into telling.

"Do you have any association with Azgard?" armor guy asks.

"Who?"

Angel snorts and covers her mouth.

Bow guy is next to ask me a question, "How come you aren't freaking out?"

"Why would I do that?"

Then it is the smirk guy who I swear looks like someone I read about in the newspaper.

"Why Wouldn't you freak out? Hello we're the Avengers!"

"The what now?"

They all exchange looks before Fury gets tired of the conversation and orders Steve to take me back to the cells.

"When your ready to stop messing around, then we'll talk."

Angel looks at me worriedly and I give her a small wave as Steve grabs me by the arm and proceeds to half drag half lead me back to where I originally woke up.

He closes the door after making sure that I was seated on the bench, and a few moments after the door closes, something else opens and when I look up, a package of cards are on the ground.

Oh Alice. How did I get into this mess?