Man vs Hero

There are two sides to every hero.
There is the name given to them at birth, along with the family reputation they are born into. Whether this be a rich, accomplished institute, or a poor, yet proud home.

Then there is the persona that is developed at some later stage in their lives. Few are born into their roles -such as Gods and the children of heroes. Most have to adapt to their surroundings, or a situation.

She was born Felicia Hardy and resided in Queens, New York.
As an expert gymnast and martial artist, Felicia took on the role of a skilled thief once the true identity of her father Walter Hardy, aka The Cat, was revealed to her. Her chosen persona was The Black Cat, and she lived by the motto her father had taught her; 'Never settle for second best.'

Cat was asked to be part of certain hero teams, but if there's one negative thing she would admit about herself, it's that she rarely did anything for a greater good unless there was something worthwhile in it for herself. She was a whirlwind. A tornado seeking out anything of value and never sticking around long enough to deal with the consequences. She didn't build bridges and she didn't form meaningful relationships in her private life.

Black Cat, being the expert burglar she was, could have broken into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Of course, being equipped with the highest degree of security it would have proved incredibly difficult, but Cat had a certain luck on her side. But rather then expend her energy, Cat simply used the front door.
Nick Fury had politely requested her presence and with all the curiosity of her feline counterpart, she decided to humour the big boss.

"Hello?" Tony Stark peered over his black aviators as he caught sight of the guest. The very appearance of Black Cat was irresistible to someone such as Stark. He was a man generally ruled by the main organ located in his pants. Before him stood a beautiful creature dressed in leather and fur cuffs, white blond hair falling over her shoulders.

Cat stepped past the security guards who had escorted her within the building, and closer to Tony. The guards made to move, but Tony held up his hand to prevent them. "Cat," she purred the words and lit them with a smirk on her rogue painted lips, "and you must be the infamous Tony Stark."

"Glad you could stop by Ms Hardy." Nick Fury appeared from a side corridor. "I see you've met Stark."

"I was just deciding whether or not to believe the rumours surrounding him." Cat mused.

"Why don't we go somewhere a little more private and I'll help you decide," Tony smirked.

Cat took another step forward. It was obvious to her why the girls swooned around the billionaire playboy -but that wasn't why she was here. "Oh honey," Cat ran a finger across his stubble covered jaw, gentle enough as to not draw blood due to the razor feline claws of her costume, "if you were to ever get me alone, you wouldn't know what to do with me." Tony swallowed the lump threatening to form in the base of his throat, as he struggled to keep his eyes on Cat's own and not slip to her well endowed chest.

Cat turned to Fury, "You didn't ask me here so that I could meet your employees."

Tony wouldn't realize he had been insulted until a few minutes later. Right at that moment he was more at a loss for words, watching this unknown woman take the hand offered by an amused Nick Fury and the way she sauntered out of sight.



Cat watched him from above, balanced high up in the rafters. It appeared that he was focused solely on the heavyweight punching bag in front of him, while his mind raced with other things. His frustrations were relieved to a temporary degree every time a superhuman fist connected with the red leather.
Steve thought of his current situation. He had been known for his positivity and goodwill, yet since waking, Steve Rogers found a bitter ice surrounding his heart.
Why couldn't they let him be? To simply remain in his state of frozen animation until the end of things.

At this thought the bag tore from it's restrictive hooks and flew the length of the room. Sand flying in it's wake.
The perfect time for Cat to make her entrance.

Jumping down from her perch, she landed on all fours with the agility and grace she was known for.
Though her landing was like rainfall on moss, Steve span around when he heard the intruder. He hadn't expected to be confronted by anything or anyone, instead believing the noise was just the sound of the old building groaning and his super-sensitive hearing had caught it.

He wasn't prepared for Cat.
She was standing upright now, with her gloved hands on her hips, and a playful smile on her lips.
Steve didn't know what to do. No training had prepared him for her. He had never been good with women, he didn't have the confidence of Thor Odinson or Tony Stark, or even the natural charm of Clint Barton.
He had never even been on a proper date.
There was Peggy Carter, and she was beautiful, but she hadn't presented herself like these modern women. Steve was fast becoming accustomed to the dress of modern women, how they revealed more than was considered 'proper'. Though the costumes of heroes and villains were something else entirely.

Even Black Widow's costume was a tad more conservative than Cat's attire.
Black Leather? yes.
Form fitting? yes.
Revealing, well Cat won on that front.

"Captain, my Captain." Cat curtsied in mockery.

"Who are you?"

"I'm known as Black Cat, but you can call me Felicia." The name rolled off her tongue with relative ease, while in the guise of Cat, she didn't deal with the formality of birth names. Though she wasn't in danger - the authorities knew her true identity, she still found this process unfamiliar.

"What are you doing here?" Steve didn't mean to be so sharp, but the punch-bag hadn't rid him of all the anger bubbling inside.

"I asked to meet you."
It was a lie, wrapped in faint truth. Nick Fury had asked her to meet with Steve Rogers when all else to connect him to this modern world seemed to be failing. Though Cat had secretly wanted the meeting.

Was this yet another fan meeting for Captain America?
He hoped she wasn't bat-shit crazy like some of the others.

"You changed my life."

Steve's heart sank. Another fan. He really wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with people.

"Glad I could help."

"Oh you didn't 'help', believe me." The bright green eyes of Felicia Hardy narrowed.
This finally got Steve's full attention. He had clearly never met this woman before, surely he would remember if he had. How could he have affected her life in a negative way?
"When the world presumed you dead, and with Erskine gone before he could commit his formula to paper, new serums were developed by the thousand. Few came close to satisfaction. No test subject matched the Great Captain America." Cat took another step towards him. "I was the last experiment, the closest they've come. I was built in your image."

"You agreed to test the serum?" Steve asked in awe. He was still very much aware of the vigorous training he had received in preparation for his own change, and what had driven him to sign up. The need which drove him to continually put himself through heartache and rejection so that he would be a part of war. The need to serve his country.

Cat knew he was looking at her now, but she didn't meet those blue eyes. "I had no choice. It was the demand of an evil man in exchange for my fathers safe return home."

"Where is your father now?"

"He died." She noticed his face fall. How could this stranger feel anything for her loss. He didn't know her. And Felicia - the true Felicia - immediately felt guilty for sharing her loss with this man. A man who had suffered more loss in his short, broken time-line than most are unfortunate enough to witness in a full life.

"I can't compare my story to yours. I didn't wake up to find everyone I know and love gone." She paused and gingerly placed a hand one of his toned, broad shoulders. Steve froze at the contact. "Everyone leaves," she said softly. "It may be difficult to do so, but you should look at this as your second chance. You were brought back when the world needed you."

"The world has coped fine without me." Steve said nonchalantly, his voice low.

"The fickle nature of the human race causes the faith in heroes to dwindle. Everything is taken for granted." Cat couldn't fully disguise the bitterness in her voice. "But they need the clambering green giant. They need the thunder God. Hell, they even need the...what was it you said? big man in an iron suit." Cat smiled, her hand moving from his shoulder to his bare arm so he would look at her again. This time their eyes locked. "Most of all they need their Captain. The symbol of hope and freedom. The average Joe turned superhero."

For the first time since 1945 a genuine smile crossed Steve's lips. "Do they just send you in whenever a pathetic so-called hero needs a pep-talk?"

"I only work special cases."
Cat moved her hand to reach into her suit, and pulled a small ivory card from her bra.
She handed it to Steve with a flick of her wrist, "In case you ever need a friend."
Cat leaned up to kiss the corner of his mouth. Had her actions not been so fluid, Steve would have blushed more fervently than was acceptable for a grown man as he watched her stalk away into the darkness.