Queen

Chapter Eleven-New Meaning to the Word; Frenemy

Turns out I was being taken to a cage. Iron Man laid me down tenderly on the floor of said cage, then walked out with the advanced cuffs he had on me. As soon as he leaves and the door shuts, the glass that I had thought made up the cage turns into mirrors, all reflecting me back at me. Discomfort immediately settles within my chest and the desire to shift appears as well.

"Report." I stiffen at the words in my head but turn towards the back of the room and make my hair act as a curtain to conceal my lips as I speak.

"I'm in a cage. Terminate mission?" I ask hesitantly. It's not up to me to decide the path I should take. The superiors decide that.

"Negative, V. Continue the mission. Confirm?"

"Confirmed." I agree and turn back around only to be met with my reflection once again. I strain to hear anything outside my cage, but there must be sound proof seals all around it to prevent me from doing just that. Suddenly, the mirrors are replaced by glass once again and I find myself breathing a sigh of relief. I stare out and see Captain America, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Nick Fury. Captain America hasn't even changed his shirt that I stabbed him in. He's staring at me expectantly, waiting for something. Finally, I give in to the temptation of shifting. I shift into multiple creatures within the minute, a panther, a python, an alligator, a gorilla. Nick Fury flicks a switch on a large keypad and nods to Captain America. He steps forward and when he speaks, I can hear him.

"We don't want you to fight with anyone Victoria." He assures me. I settle on the form of a tiger and pace within my cage, watching this man that I stabbed stare at me with concern. How does he know about that? I sit down in the middle of the cage and flick my tail back and forth absentmindedly. "Ria, what happened?" He asks gently. His tenderness catches me off guard and my tail freezes at the sound of that name. It's as if my entire brain suffers from a glitch. After a moment, I recover. I stand on all fours again and shift into the easiest form to maintain; myself. I see the man in front of me take a deep breath, as well as Tony Stark. More confusion settles within me as I watch their faces. They seem to know me, somehow. The temptation to speak to them grows within me, but I fight it, knowing others will hear my words. "Is there some reason you can't talk to us?" He asks me and I can tell he knows the answer just by the way I stiffen as soon as the last word passes his pink lips. His arm raises and he points at his ear. He mouths unnecessarily, "Coms?" Hesitantly, I nod. There would be severe punishment later if the superiors found out. Captain America turns back towards his compatriots and Nick Fury once again flips the switch. I put my head in my hands and talk quietly to the superiors.

"Permission to terminate coms? They've been compromised." I ask and explain, but that's all. I certainly don't tell them that I want to talk to these strange people who seem to know me. There's a longer pause than usual, making me nervous and twitchy.

"Granted. Proceed with the mission without coms. Do not be distracted. Confirm?" Finally, they answer and I release a pent-up breath.

"Confirmed." I reply and take the com out of my ear. Immediately I feel better. Freer. I knock on the mirror/glass and say, "Captain America." The mirrors fade and I am surprised to feel the amount of relief flood me that does when I see his face. It's a charming face, as faces go. I hold up the com between my fingers and crush it as he watches. Steve Rogers seems pleased, but Tony Stark does not.

"We could have tracked that feed!" He says indignantly. I look at him, impressed. That was exactly why I destroyed it instead of handing it over. The Captain soothes him shockingly quickly before turning ack to me.

"Is that my name?" I ask him, genuinely curious. Although breaking my superior's commands makes my brain hurt and my heart race with fear. "Ria?" I try it out on my tongue and like the taste. It seems happier than my real name.