Cat watched Riri work with a smile on her face.
"You're making me nervous," Riri told her without looking up.
"Sorry," the mutant chuckled. "It's just crazy, part of me thought for years only Tony was able to do this."
Riri glanced at her. "So you got to know him well?"
"I lived with him... a year?" Cat squinted. "I lived around him, my whole teens. He was like the coolest uncle I could ever hope to get."
Riri chuckled. "They were your family for real? The Avengers?"
"Two years ago I would've told you they were, they tutored me and trained me... but I'm not gonna pretend that what Namor said didn't change the way I view things. Hawkeye said it, their orders were clear, it was their job to train me."
"Must've been hard to realize," the girl stopped what she was doing to look at her. "That you've never had what you thought you had."
"I never said that," Cat grinned. "They cared for me in the end, they were my friends, and that was something. And I did get my own family, brother, father and cousins, uncle and aunt... it's weird, but I like weird."
"When Shuri called you she wasn't convinced that you'd be willing to help, but so far you seem pretty dope."
"Yeah, I've had a complex reputation throughout the years," Cat crossed her arms and leaned against the table. "I couldn't make up my mind about it either."
"But now you have? Make up your mind, I mean..."
Cat patted the girl's shoulder. "As soon as I'm done here I'm going back to New York, and then I hope you clear out your schedule, cause your training will start this summer."
Riri's expression was priceless. "Are you messing with me?"
"Normally I would, but not right now," Cat smirked. "You wanna be an Avenger, kid?"
"Holy shit!" The girl walked away covering his mouth, around them several people threw curious glances.
"Keep working, she's just having a moment," Cat dismissed it with a chuckle.
M.O.U.S.E. spoke to her. "Incoming call: Lucifer."
The mutant's heart squeezed with worry and she walked out of the lab hoping Matt wasn't calling to give her bad news. "Hi, hot shot, what's new?"
There was a short silence at the other end. "You sound... okay."
She chuckled. "Is that bad?"
"I just heard about the queen's death?" He explained. "I wasn't expecting to hear you laughing."
Cat's smile vanished instantly. Her face lost a bit of color. "Right. Yes... she died."
"I thought you'd be upset," he continued, now sounding a little awkward. "I... well, I never forgot what you said about Pietro..."
The woman let out a sad chuckle. "You never forgot, huh?"
"Well, I..." he cleared his throat. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Spider-man got really worried when he heard you'd left. I thought you'd called him."
"I didn't, and he didn't call me either cause he knows it's risky. We don't know who could be listening," Cat frowned. "I'm sorry he got worried, but I'm sure by now he knows I'm okay."
"And what happened there? What's going on?"
"It's a long story, and I'm not sure I'm even allowed to talk about it, but I promise I will tell you what I can once I'm back."
"Really?" He sounded surprised. "Okay. But are you safe?"
Cat thought about it. "I've had worse. I mean, yes I was there when the queen died, and I... I saved her at first," she let out a dry laugh. "They were drowning, and I pulled her out while still conscious... but I looked away just a minute..."
"It wasn't your fault, Cat."
"I know that."
"No one blames you, either," he added, his voice had an edge as if he were willing to go to Wakanda and make sure no one did.
"No," Cat frowned, but she was also smiling a little. "It's bizarre, I thought I'd feel guilty 'cause I was there and I drove the bad guys in thinking I'd be able to stop them... but I couldn't."
"And you're okay with that?" He insisted, this time a bit more skeptical.
"I spent a month in a universe where there is only one hero, and he's always exhausted," she began explaining, "when I came back, I realized how stupid it was to think I would be able to control this world with my bare hands. I can't do it alone. I told you I would try again, and I'm doing it, with my friends' help if they think they can do it."
Matt let out a sigh of relief. "Took you long enough."
"'Bout eight years, give or take. Most of my youth... such a waste..."
"I wouldn't call it a waste," he said, those were the years in which they'd met.
Cat grinned. "Okay, not entirely a waste. Better?"
"It will be once you're back," Matthew answered. "The longer you continue to be in plain sight the easier will be for Kraven and Russo to track you. Don't give them the chance."
"Cat?" Shuri came out of the lab. "Your suit is ready."
"I'll give them a chance, Matthew," she said. "To run."
_______________
Cat's chrome-colored suit was an impressive sight when the jaguar cloak had been added. She spotted Shuri standing next to the ship and opened her arms to show off her looks. Shuri smiled. "As striking as the owner. Finally, a suit that matches your personality."
"I'm forever in debt with the person that made it for me," she winked. "I'm all yours, your highness."
Her purple feline eyes had to be covered now most of the time since the reflection of her suit was a bit too much for her, but instead of her goggles, she had a visor that M.O.U.S.E. projected for her and caused the reflection to bounce out without bothering her. He'd been updated with Riri's help.
Cat nudged Shuri's arm, the girl was wearing a Black Panther suit, she'd gone through the transformation. "How does it feel to be super strong?"
"It gives you a new perspective of life... and death."
Cat looked at her knowingly. "I've seen that look before. I know is useless to tell you this now, but I feel like you should know... killing didn't make things better. Having someone there to hold your hand after everything's over... that's what heals you."
Shuri's jaw clenched. "I know this is not the perfect answer."
"But it's the one you want." The girl didn't respond. Cat sighed heavily. "Shuri, I got everything I wanted, and I lost all that was important as a consequence. Look around you," she stared at the beautiful scenery with sad eyes. "Remember your home when you face Namor, and what might happen to it if you kill him."
"You think I'm strong enough to take his life?" She asked bitterly. "Most think I'll die trying."
"I'm certain you can. I told you, I had that look in my eyes once... and I will have it again, soon," Cat said quietly. "But I'll try my best to fight against it, I think you should do the same."
***
The fight ended relatively fast, or at least that's how it'd looked at first. Shuri left on the ship that had captured Namor, and Cat prayed to any deity that could be listening, to keep Shuri from ruining her life.
The ship was going nowhere, so Cat and M'Baku approached the captain to see what was going on. "The sonic emitter has been destroyed."
Whales started to surround them, M'Baku mumbled with worry. "That can't be good."
Something exploded under them and the ship tilted sideways. Cat used Wanda's powers to lift herself from the ship's surface and then did her best to push it back to its original position. A spear flew past her.
Some Wakandans had slipped off the ship during the explosion and were at their enemy's mercy, Cat could only think to use Wanda's power to lift a small wave and scatter the warriors away from each other. Then she began to teleport from one place to another to place them back on top of the ship.
"Princess we need that backup now!" Cat announced.
"Okoye!" Was all Shuri replied.
The midnight angels arrived at the scene. Riri shot up into the sky carrying a Dora in her arms, one that Cat hadn't spotted while saving the others. More Talokans started to climb into their ship.
Cat reached under her cloak, pulled a baton, then pressed something in it and it stretched into a fine spear, its two ends made of laser blades that she could reshape however she wanted. "Knife fight it is," she sighed.
Copycat rushed into battle stabbing every blue-skinned person she ran into. The thought of hurting them was less upsetting now that she knew they could not be killed easily. Eventually, the crowd opened and she spotted Attuma, she copied Mr. Parker's power and shot a web at his weapon pulling it back, then landed in front of him.
Cat pointed one end of her spear under his chin. "Hi again," she said in Mayan.
The man scowled at her. "Jaguar."
"Stop calling me that or I'll think you guys respect me," she joked.
Attuma aimed at her chest but Cat stopped his spear with her own, then she kicked him back and aimed for his middle, but he dodged her. He was fast as much as he was strong, but Cat had decided not to use any power now that they were face to face except for the ones she'd developed naturally.
He tried to stab her from above, but Cat split her spear in half and crossed both parts over her head to stop the weapon short. Her knees buckled, but she pushed him back. And she kept pushing until both of her feet were planted firmly on the ground.
Cat uncrossed the blades and his spear grazed her neck, she jumped back in alarm, the feeling bringing unwanted memories. Attuma elbowed the side of her head, nothing protected her from the blow.
The mutant got thrown to the ground, and her batons fell out of reach. Attuma lifted his spear, and she looked up at him, eyes unwavering as he got ready to kill her. Then Namor's voice rose from above them.
"Talokanile'ex!" He called, Shuri was standing by his side. They had come to an agreement. "Let us return home. Our fight here is done."
Attuma and every warrior from his tribe knelt at his orders. Cat felt a throbbing pain on her side, she wasn't sure at which point someone had tried to stab her, but they'd almost succeeded. They hadn't actually injured her thanks to her suit, but the impact of the blade felt like she would find an ugly bruise there later on the day.
Attuma got up and, to her surprise, put his weapon away and offered to help her stand. Cat seized his hand with no hesitation. Once on her feet, she watched as he picked up her batons and put them back together, reassembling her spear. He handed it back.
"Live up to its worth," he pointed at her cape, "or I'll take it back along with your life."
Cat stared at him, overwhelming grief engulfed her. She didn't know if she was worthy to carry the jaguar's mantle, but it was then that she realized excellence was not what she wanted at all, and it had taken half of her friends and family to discover the harsh truth.
At least now she'd made up her mind.