Cheshire: The Exile

Chapter Nine

Something wasn't right as Natasha and I walk down the hallways.

The usually busy corridors are deserted, with us as the only sign of life.

"What's going on?" Natasha asks me as if I would know.

Touching my hand to the wall, I try to connect with another presence.

Yet, right as I do my hand is ripped away from the wall and I am slammed into the glass of the wall on the other side of the hallway.

The glass shatters around me and I land harshly on my back.

Clapping sounds somewhere above my head and when I look up I am greeted by the sight of a red heart dangling off of a silver chain. The sign of a loyalist to the Red Queen.

She stands there with her hands clasped behind her back, her black hair dangling in my face, as she peers down at me with a malicious smile.

Joker. My sister.

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Getting to my feet I face her. Standing across from each other we look so similar, with her black and red tipped hair and mine vice versa. Yet our personalities can't be more different.

Joker has a evil side of her that is more present then not. Honestly, I don't remember a time where she was ever good.

She hates me for the fact that I found Alice and became part of the classic novel while she was cut out of the entire story.

"Sister."

"Joker."

She clicks her tongue after I call her by her given name, instead of 'sister'.

"Now why so cold? I would have thought you would be kinder once you were Exiled."

My inner Cheshire self nags me about something but I just push it to the back of my mind.

Natasha calls out to me, "Katrine, we need to go!"

Joker raises an eyebrow at that, "Katrine, huh?"

I turn my back to my sister, and follow Natasha's lead out of the hallways and into the main stations.

"What's happening?" I ask her. 

"Loki has escaped!"

What?

"Can you track him, Katrine?"

I shift through my memories for Loki's presence that I have imprinted in my mind.

It is weak since I didn't actually touch him, but it's there.

"Yeah! Let's go!" I grab Natasha's arm and we Cavort.

To on top of a car. Did I mention it's moving?

Natasha isn't with me, but when I look to my right I see her in the back of another car with her guns out.

Now why didn't she Cavort with me here?

I poke Loki's head with my pointer finger and he turns around a look of shock on his face.

"Miss me?"

He smirks at my words.

Then my eyes flicker downwards toward the staff he has in his hands.

I knew that whatever it is, he probably shouldn't have it.

"Cool staff! Can I see it?"

Loki, still smirking shakes his head and touches the staff end to my chest.

It glows for a second, and I feel a twinge of pain in my heart, but nothing else happens.

Frowning Loki does it again, and I feel the same pain. Still nothing.

"Why isn't this working?" He mumbles.

Grabbing Loki by the arm I cavort us to Stark Tower. I had seen an interview that Tony and the rest of the Avengers did a while back so I have a simple idea of how it looks.

I release Loki and he stumbles backwards his eyes wide with surprise.

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.

When I go to say something, alarms sound within the tower.

"Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert."

Loki grins widely and I snicker.

"You want to know exactly who I am?"

Before either one of us can say anything more, the lights go out and the windows close down with metal barricades.

Luckily due to my Cat nature, what little light I find in the room I can use to see.

Loki raises his staff and light glows from the stone within it.

I also raise my arms and my cat claws protrude from my gloves. When Loki's light his the metal he tilts his head confused before he raises the staff higher to find my face.

I don't let him linger on my face for very long before I slash my claws across his unguarded face leaving behind four perfectly placed scratch marks.

I go to slash him again, but am blocked by the staff.

"You honestly think you can defeat me?"

I go to slash him again and instead he grabs my wrist.

"Foolish Mortal."

I smirk and lean in closer, "I'm going to say this very slowly, so that your tiny mind will understand. I. Am. Not. Mortal."

I raise my leg and knee him in the groin.
He drops to his knees and I comment, "Huh, even works on Gods. Who knew?"

Grabbing the staff out of his hands, I hiss, "Pathetic God" Before I cavort back to the Shield station.

Or at least try to.  

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