The Horde Soldier | Catradora

Is This A Coping Mechanism?

Adora watched as Lonnie observed Catra's new arm.

"Hmm," Adora hummed, liking the way the Horde Prime symbol had been removed. "I actually really enjoy the glow up. Not so much a murderous war criminal on the run, but now you look like you only deserve ten years prison time, max."

Lonnie laughed at the joke, which relieved everyone in the room. After Lonnie discovered that Shadow Weaver had been behind all of the attacks, she offered Catra hospitality and kindness in exchange for her forgiveness.

Catra smiled and looked down, shaking her head. "You are seriously the only person I know that can still make jokes with a black eye. I can literally bet two arms that everyone on the flip side is probably wallowing."

Maybe she didn't pick up on the poor word choice, but Adora definitely did.

Glimmer has to deal with the death of her mother and father almost all over again. She has new information that she didn't have the first time around, and the wound is probably reopening. She doesn't even have her best friend by her side anymore. She hardly has a team left.

Spinnerella has still been coping with Netossa sacrificing herself to close the portal. Mermista thinks she may not be dead, but no one wants to hope. She doesn't have any more hope, giving it up when she zapped Lonnie for trying to stop them from escaping.

Castaspella might be paralysed, and that one hurt her soul. Not for Adora, but for Entrapta. Entrapta must have that guilt heavy on her conscious. They were going to get them out of that prison as soon as possible.

A goddamn teenage girl who didn't even know what she was fighting for. She has no clue about the politics at play, or the way the Accords actually worked. She'd gotten information from Iron Lady, and that's what she went with.

Everyone has something to mourn right now. Adora had lost one of her first friends since coming out of the ice. Bow and Glimmer were there for her from the beginning. One's in prison and the other she abandoned in the Crimson Waste.

Catra sighed. "Lonnie, I was meaning to ask earlier, but I was wondering if you had by any chance... I don't know... Is there anything we can do that will get rid of Hydra in my head?"

Adora whipped her head around. She had never thought about asking what they could do about Hydra, and now she felt really dumb. If there's anyone who even has a chance at removing brainwashing done years ago, it's Lonnie.

Catra was ready to put the work in to try to fix everything. She had been prepared, after fixing the arm and breaking everyone out of prison, to start something that could possibly break the brainwashing. It made Adora happy to see her so like herself again.

Now they may have an actual solution, clearly shown by Lonnie's small smile. "Do you know where you are? Of course there's something we can do about Hydra and Horde Prime."

Catra sat up straighter. "What do I need to do? Please, I'm not in control of my own head and it scares me that I don't. I remember everything after I've done it, and I can't deal with that anymore." She turned and made eye contact with her. "I remember them."

Glimmer's parents.

Catra knew Micah. Even though she might not have known Angella, Micah had been her father figure during the war. He looked out for them, and was devastated when Adora came back from the train mission without Catra. He didn't find out until decades later, as he was dying, that she'd been alive the whole time.

"We have two methods," Lonnie spoke as she walked around the room. "The first one is to go into cryogenic freeze for months, and we'll take it out while you're in there. Or, you could come in a couple times a month. We'll put you under for twenty-four hours, and do it progressively."