A Demonstration
“Okay. So. The Readers Digest version of the legend is every 10,000 years, there’s a cosmic phenomenon called the Harmonic Convergence. Essentially, that means that planets throughout the universe align in just the right way for the borders separating spirits of darkness and light to become blurred. A *long* time ago, during one of these Convergences, there was a man named Wan who accidentally unleashed the spirit of darkness because he thought it would help the worlds.”
“Classic.” Scoffed Thor.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Kat continued. “In order to help fix the chaos that came as a result, Wan offered his body to the spirit of light and order, and together they were able to restore balance. At the end of it all, two fused permanently, creating the being that came to be known as the Avatar.”
She paused and scanned the group of heroes, checking in to make sure they were following along. When she glanced at Loki, she could’ve sworn she saw a ghost of a smile on his face as he looked at her, waiting for the next part of the story.
Rolling up her sleeves slightly, Kat revealed four tattoos: lines, each a half-inch wide, two encircling each wrist. She rubbed them absentmindedly as she continued. “The Avatar, in colloquial terms, is a master of the art of bending, or manipulating the elements. While there are four types of bending, traditionally a bender can only gain mastery of one: fire, water, earth, or air; the Avatar is the only bender in the worlds that can master all of them.”
Tony spoke up. “And that’s you? You’re the Avatar?”
Kat nodded.
“How’d that happen?” Tony persisted, “Which element were you born into? Did you - ”
“No, okay hold on. Hold on. Um, it’s a little bit more complicated than that…wait. How did you - ” And then the realization dawned on her. “Did you watch that old show? The animated one?”
“Uh, yeah.” Tony responded, “Why?”
Kat nodded in understanding as she explained. “For all the entertainment value it had, the show wasn’t exactly historically accurate. If you really want to know more about the Cycle, I can explain it later; I don’t want to hold anybody up.”
Tony shrugged and walked away.
Loki raised his hand, causing everyone else to turn and look at him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see a demonstration.”
Cap shook his head. “Loki, why would you ask a thing like that?”
Loki looked at Cap overly-innocently. “I wasn’t there today – on YOUR orders, I might add – so I didn’t see her save the Hawk. I’m merely feeling left out.”
“It’s okay, Cap. I don’t mind.” Kat jumped in. She’d been hoping someone would ask – she wanted a chance to really prove she had what it took to fight with them, and, as much as she denied it, part of her wanted to impress *ahem* a certain raven-haired god.
Loki watched intently as Kat prepared for whatever it was she was going to do. She was frustratingly intriguing, and he’d found himself hanging on every word she said. He wanted to know more about her.
All of a sudden, a mischievous smile spread across Kat’s face. “Thor?” she called, “I need a little help for this one.”
While she was quiet with her request, Thor’s booming voice was incredulous. “You want me to do WHAT?”
“Just trust me, okay? It’ll be fine. Probably.” She squared her shoulders and walked to the center of the yard, turning a full 360 degrees as if she were surveying the surrounding area. Thor joined her in the grass, standing about 20 yards away, hammer in hand.
With a few small movements of her hand, Kat was standing on a plateau of earth about 8 feet tall. Trying to contain her nerves, she faced her audience. She’d only pulled this off a small number of times, and though it was truly a sight when she got it right, it could be disastrous should she get it wrong. She took a deep breath and shifted so her stance was wider and her hands were both ‘Disney-pointing’ at the ground. After one last glance at Loki, who was analyzing her every move with rapt attention, she nodded at Thor.
He raised Mjolnir and the sky immediately began to darken. Kat’s eyes narrowed in focus as a huge bolt of lightning cracked across the sky and connected with the God of Thunder. With a swing of his arm, he sent the full force of his power straight at Kat, who reached out a hand to meet it.
As the energy surged through her body, she traced a path along her outstretched right arm with two fingers of her left hand, down across her stomach, and up and out into the sky to her left, guiding the current to its exit points at the tips of her left fingers. The lightning arced from her in a dazzling and impressive display of power and control; when the flashing ended, a relieved Kat looked back over her shoulder to see a group of heroes (and Loki) with their mouths open in awe. Cap actually started clapping, which made Kat laugh. Pushing down the feeling of exhaustion that threatened to overtake her, she jumped off her platform, letting the air catch her and lower her to the ground, where she approached Loki.
“Good enough for you?” she asked, a teasing smile on her face.
He just smiled, and that same feeling that he’d had when he first saw her came over him again, lighting a fire in his chest.