The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

The Crater

~~~Jemma's pov~~~

So much has happened since I met that woman who turned out to be Catherine and Loki's daughter. So much.

For one, Fitz is back!

How he got here, I don't have the foggiest idea. But he's here and posing as a rich marauder, attempting to purchase Daisy and me so that we can escape.

Being Kasius' servant has been so unpleasant that I actually miss the Framework.

Okay, not really, but it would still be better than watching innocent people get slaughtered at this homicidal maniac's word.

At the moment, I'm in the viewing platform for this arena called the Crater. It's where Kasius has the Inhumans fight and eventually bought by other psychopaths. And not just adults are sold. No, they also sell children.

This place makes me sick.

Honestly, the sooner we get out of here, the better.

Speaking of which, Fitz has gotten quite close to Kasius. I'm assuming so he can earn his favor once bidding time comes for Daisy and me.

I watched from the far corner of the platform as Kasius stood to make the opening commencements.

"Today, I have prepared for you two fighters of extreme skill. And because of this, for your safety, I have placed a barrier between us and the Crater below. Although the contestants can see us, they cannot hear us or harm us. With that, I introduce to you our first contestant, who possesses an extraordinary skill. A telepath, able to read his opponent's plan of attack before it's carried out." He waved his hand down at the arena and I saw a man enter. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with dark hair, and dark eyes. I think Daisy told me about him. Ben, I think his name was.

"Normally," He continued. "I'd pit this man against another Inhuman. Yet for this select crowd, I've decided on a more unique opponent. One not of this time."

My heart dropped at his words.

Not of this time? Did they get another member of the team? If so, who?

"This deadly witch was trained by two of the galaxy's most despised organizations. But most intriguing, she is also a friend to the Destroyer of Worlds. Dear guests, may I present to you, Catherine Stark. The Raven Witch."

My mouth almost fell open when Catherine was pushed into the fighting arena.

What the hell was she doing here?!

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

What the hell am I doing here, you might ask? Well, after I told May, Phil, and Deke to run, I held off the Kree.

Okay, more like tried.

The Kree woman who attacked me was far too powerful to fight without my magic, so I had to essentially surrender, and then she proceeded to knock me unconscious.

I awoke just an hour or so ago and was promptly brought here.

Now, I'm staring up into the face of Leopold Fitz. Who wasn't even supposed to freaking be here!

How on God's shattered earth did he manage to get here?!

I shook my head. There's no time to think about that now.

The Inhuman I had to fight was Ben, a telepath. Or at least, that's what I could get from his head.

He allowed me to make the first move, but he was quick to maneuver against it.

"So, are you from the past too?" He asked me as I dodged his attacks.

I chuckled, keeping him at a good distance from me with the spear provided when I entered the arena. "What gave it away?"

He shrugged, using a small knife to nick my forearm. "Just a guess."

I winced at the pain but quickly shook it off, focusing on defending myself. "Oh please," I rolled my eyes. "Your Inhuman ability is telepathy." I watched his eyes go wide as I expertly disarmed him, throwing the knife somewhere behind me.

Hey, my husband is Loki Laufeyson. I've picked up a trick or two when it comes to knives and daggers. If he wasn't already the God of Mischief, I think God of Knives has a nice ring to it.

I internally smiled at the thought of him. I hope he's okay... God, I hope he knows that I'm okay. He was already worrying about me, and when Phil tells him that I stayed back...

My blood ran cold when I realized I had made a massive mistake. He's going to go into full-blown panic mode when he hears what happened! I need to get out of here.

Ben interrupted my thinking. "It is." He nodded in reference to my claim about his powers. "So, if you're from the prophecy there's a few people you could be. You're obviously not Quake. Not Jemma Simmons. So, that leaves Melinda May, Elena Rodriguez, or Catherine Stark. And judging by how you figured out my gift so quickly, I'd say you're Catherine. The Raven Witch."

It's safe to say that I was surprised. Does everyone in the future know who I am? My legal name and my superhero one? "Very good," I confirmed his theory as we circled one another, waiting for the right moment to attack.

"So, why am I not dead yet?" He asked, brow raised.

"What do you mean?" I asked, still keeping my guard up.

"Well, if the stories are true, you have incredible magic. And if that's the case, why haven't you killed me? You could do it easily." He reasoned.

He's not wrong, but I guess the stories forgot two very important things. One, I am pregnant. And two, I have morals and won't kill someone just because some Kree lunatic pits me against them.

"If this was a few months ago, yes, I could. But not anymore." I answered honestly. If I tell him the truth, maybe he won't kill me.

He stopped his circling and stared at me in confusion. "What-" He stopped himself as I told him what was going on telepathically. How I was heavily pregnant and couldn't fight well. "Wow. That just made this so much more twisted." His eyes were wide as saucers.

I let out a small laugh like I didn't already know. "I know, right?"

He shook his head dejectedly, a look of sadness in his eyes. "It's nothing personal. I don't want to hurt you. Especially not now that I know this. But I've got a daughter I need to get back to."

My heart sank. He had a kid. A little girl, no less.

This situation sucks.

"And I have a daughter with me right now. So, how are we going to resolve this?" I discreetly motioned to my stomach, where my bump was hidden carefully with an illusion. The loose clothing stopped working a while ago, so I've been casting an illusion over it.

"She still has her mother to look after her and raise her. Kill me if you want. One of us needs to die, and I refuse to kill you, so do the math." His answer surprised me but also made me feel an immeasurable amount of guilt.

If I killed him to save myself, I would be taking a little girl's father away from her. And I know if anyone did that to my family, I would never forgive them.

"We can both make it out of this." I insisted, dropping my weapon to the ground.

He dropped his as well as he responded. "How? It's impossible."

I smirked. "You just have to know who to ask." With that, I looked up at Fitz. "Help me out here?"

The Scottish scientist gave me a slight nod and stood, saying something to Kasius that I couldn't hear through the barrier.

But I'm assuming he succeeded because, seconds later, the barrier was down, and Kasius was giving orders to the Kree soldiers to escort me to the surface, which is precisely where I needed to be.

Before the soldiers could grab me, I spoke to Ben one last time. "Told ya."

He gave an almost unnoticeable smile and replied. "I wish you the best of luck, Catherine."