SHIFTER ─ marvel

XXXIII. What Makes You A Hero

It's after about three hours that Rhodey alerts me that a car just pulled up to the base; a red Chevy with Moscow plates. I take in a breath of air, searching for Analiese's scent and finding it instantly. She's here.

Alex confirms this a few minutes later, saying she's making her way towards the elevator. I get up from where I've been sitting in front of the empty cryo chamber, going to stand in the middle of the room, my suit activated and my weapons ready.

Bucky tells me in the coms she's walking towards the entrance, and moments later, she slips into the room, her face filled with fury.

Despite her clear anger though, she smiles at me. "You look nice. Your Avenger friends make you a new suit? It looks exactly like the old one. You could have at least used a different color."

"Well someone's snarky." Scott mutters into the coms.

I force a smile Analiese's way. "I'm glad you came. I started to worry you didn't see the message."

She places her hands behind her back, just like she did last time. "You chose the placement of your message well. It was a nice touch to use red paint. The question is, why did you ask me to come meet you? And why alone again?"

She doesn't know they're here. I feel relief flow through me knowing Shuri's serum works. "You aren't going to stop until you get what you want. Too many innocent people are dead because of you. You need to be stopped."

She nods, bringing her hands from behind her back and pulling a gun out, pointing it at my head. Her hands are unwavering as she says; "You're right, I won't stop until I get my cure. It's clear I can't keep you captive, especially since your Avenger friends will always keep looking for you. So, I'm going to get the serum from draining all the blood from your corpse. I should have done it the first time."

I put my hands up in surrender, seeing the pain and anger in her eyes. I take a step towards her, saying in a low voice; "You don't have to do this. I can help you."

She lets out a laugh, her voice straining as she says; "Help me? I'm not naive. You brought me here to kill me, to kill me like you did my brother. Why else would you bring me here? To talk? To negotiate?"

I take another step forward, seeing Analiese's grip tighten on the gun. "I found a cure."

That wasn't what she expected me to say. Confusion fills her eyes, and all she can manage to muster is; "What?"

I give her a nod, trying to be as sincere and honest as possible as I say; "I live in a place called Wakanda. It's the home of one of the most brilliant scientists I've ever met, and she helped me create a cure. It's all yours."

She shakes her head, her grip beginning to waver. "You wouldn't just give someone something like that. You're lying. How could you have found a cure?"

"I'm not lying. It's back in Wakanda waiting for you. It's a serum and a series of radiation therapy. It was tested on some of my blood and it worked. It will work for you."

She thinks about this for a second, her eyes dropping to the ground for a few seconds before she looks back up to me. "That can't be all. It can't be that easy."

"It's not. You're going to come to Wakanda and you're going to get what you've always wanted; a cure for your powers, to be normal again. After the cure has worked, the CIA will come to pick you up."

She nods her head, her jaw tightening. "Or I could kill you now and find the cure myself."

I shake my head. "That's not a smart idea. I didn't come alone."

Confusion crosses her face, and this increases as Scott grows to full size, jumping off the top of the cryo chamber and walking to my side. The next thing I know, Bucky is at my side too, glaring daggers at Analiese. I see genuine fear in her eyes at the sight of him.

"You have a second chance," I tell her. "Don't put up a fight. You won't be able to win it. Come to Wakanda and get the cure. It's the only way you'll able to find any sort of peace, killing me and other innocent people won't. Julian wouldn't want you to spend your life with a heart filled with hatred. He wanted me to find peace, that's why he tried to free me. He would want you to find that same peace. Give yourself a chance to find it."

Don't underestimate your power, Soroya. Shapeshifting isn't what makes you a hero, it's not what makes you the woman you are. Julian had said that to me and he was right. I could have come here and killed her, but that's not who I am. I couldn't help Julian find peace, but I'm not going to leave his sister to the same fate. No matter what she's done.

Analiese stares at me for a moment before letting out a sigh, lowering her gun. She drops it on the ground, holding her hands up in surrender.

Bucky walks over to her, bringing handcuffs out of his pocket. He brings Analiese's hands behind her back and places the cuffs on. She lets out a grunt of pain, and I'm guessing it's because he put the cuffs on rather tight. I can see the pure rage in Bucky's eyes, but he suppresses it, saying in short clipped breaths; "Move. Now."

He pushes her towards the elevator, with Scott and I following close behind. Scott takes his helmet off, smiling at me. "That was awesome, good job."

I reach over to him and squeeze his hand, saying into the coms; "Were coming back up now. It's over. We got her."