A/N: HELLO AGAIN!

I'm so sorry about the long (long, long) wait! My health hasn't been the greatest, so I'm going to have to throw myself at the mercy of your patience for updates. But I'm working on this story regularly, never fear.

Minor warning this chapter (and the rest of the fic) for implied underage drinking? It's real hard to describe infected!Adora without calling her drunk, you know? You know.

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"Oooohhhhh," Entrapta coos, leaning over the side of the warship to peer at the Sea Gate, which is glowing blue against the bluer sky and greenish ocean. "I've never seen First Ones tech utilized in this manner before." Her hair pulls a notepad and pencil from her pocket. "How do you think it works?"

Catra shrugs from her perch on the rail. The sea breeze and seagull calls are nauseating, but as long as she follows Scorpia's stupid trick of looking at the horizon, she doesn't feel like barfing. Or maybe it's because Entrapta's robot is better at steering this thing than Lonnie and her cronies. "That's your job to figure out, gear-head," Catra tells Entrapta. "Well – it will be once we neutralize She-Ra."

"I thought we were retreating right after infecting Adora," Scorpia calls from the rail gun. "Because of how we don't stand a chance against Salineas with the Gate at full power?"

Catra's fur bristles. She glowers over at Scorpia. "I meant, the Gate will be one of our next major targets after we take out She-Ra."

"I'm pretty sure Hordak will want us to take out Bright Moon first," Scorpia muses, coming to stand next to her. "He really seems to have it out for that place."

He does. Catra's been wondering about that for a while.

She leaps down from the rail and paces the length of the deck, the sun-warmed metal burning against the pads of her feet. "Our mistake when we moved on Bright Moon was underestimating the commitment of their allies. If we want to take out Bright Moon, we have to weaken some of the other Princesses first."

"Right," Scorpia says. "And then Hordak will be so impressed with your strategy that he'll promote you again!"

Catra's ears flick as she raises an eyebrow at Scorpia. "I'm already second-in-command. There's nothing to be promoted to."

Scorpia just smiles.

"In the last three weeks you've taken over most of the Horde's primary and secondary operations," Entrapta points out, finally looking away from the Gate. "Between the three of us, I'm sure we'll come up with something!"

Catra looks from one pair of round, shinning eyes to the other, then sighs and turns back to glower at the horizon. Entrapta adjusts some settings on her goggles and leans so far over the side of the boat that Scorpia extends a claw and grasps the folded-down top of her overalls to keep her from falling overboard. Entrapta doesn't notice, and Scorpia winks at Catra like they're in on some secret. Catra grimaces. It certainly seems like she's stuck with the pair of them, for now.

She tries to focus on what Salineas will look like once they've disabled the Gate and are burning the place to the ground.

Tries.

"When do you think they'll get here?" Scorpia asks from over the top of Entrapta's head.

"I don't know, Scorpia," Catra grits through her teeth, claws scratching at the metal rail. "When they get here."

"It's just that I would have expected them to have picked up on Entrapta's signal a while ago."

Catra's tail flicks back and forth and one of her claws rips into the rail. "Yeah, well – we can't rely on rebellion princesses now, can we?"

"And Adora usually falls for your tricks pretty quickly –"

"I don't know when they're getting here!" Catra spits, glaring at Scorpia.

"Data from past battles indicates that it will quickly become apparent when they do," Entrapta supplies.

Catra's considering ripping the rail right out of its sockets when she hears it, booming out from the Salinean shore and across the water.

"For the honor of Grey Skull!"

Twisting around, Catra spots the flying horse cresting the hills around Salineas and sweeping down to the water. Light glints off a huge sword and an enormous mane of yellow hair as the horse charges towards them.

Catra smirks. "Well there we have it." She turns to Scorpia and Entrapta. "You know what to do."

"Yes, Lieutenant Catra!" Scorpia beams.

Entrapta scurries away towards the cannon, her hair producing a remote-control from her overalls.

Catra places her hands on her hips as she watches the winged horse approach."Fire!"

There's a click, and the canon hums behind her, its static energy making her hair stand on end. And then a beam of neon green punches out from the ship, ramming into the Gate. The Gate's glow flickers for an instant as it disperses the beam, but then comes back all the stronger.

"Catra!"

The winged horse descends on the boat, and Adora, eight feet tall in gold and white, leaps off to land in front of Catra. Adora's new friends, the Archer and Glitter-girl, jump off to join her but Scorpia cuts them off with a swipe of her tail, sequestering them near the bow of the boat. Glitter twirls a long purple staff and the Archer draws his bow.

The horse lifts off again.

"Wha –" Adora squawks, "Swift Wind, where are you going?"

The horse whinnies as he pulls away. "Sorry, comrade, no boats for me! Water – ugh. No. It's covered in my contract. I'll go meet up with Mermista!"

Predictable Adora – her face slackens in surprise, then scrunches in distaste as she watches her steed fly away. "What's the matter?" Catra cackles, "Can't face me without your backup?" Adora's gaze snaps back towards her and settles in a glare. Catra cocks her head to one side. "Hey, Adora."

Adora lunges for her. Catra ducks under her arm and Adora charged past her, stumbling to halt and whirling to face her again.

"You already know how this goes, Catra!" Adora scathes, pointing her sword at her. "The Gate is too powerful for you to punch through!"

"Oh, I don't know, Princess," Catra shrugs, "Isn't that what you said about the Whispering Woods?" Adora's grip on the sword goes bone-white and Catra looks away from her. "Entrapta, fire again."

"Entrapta, no!" the Archer yells, pointing his bow in her direction. Scorpia knocks it aside and the trick net sails over Entrapta's head. "Please," the Archer says, running for his bow, "we can talk about this!"

"Oh, well, I'd be happy to discuss my findings with you, sure," Entrapta says, and hits the button on her remote control; the canon fires again, blasting off the prow of the boat.

Glitter materializes next to the canon, but Scorpia backhands her from behind, sending her flying. Catra laughs.

"Aarrrggghhhh!" Adora runs at Catra, swinging the sword as she closes in, but she's too slow, always too slow – Catra jumps over the blade and dances just out of reach as Adora spins to face her again. Adora charges forward; Catra leaps back.

"Again – fire!" Catra yells to Entrapta, before letting Adora in close and then bending away to punch her under the ribs. Adora falls to one knee as the canon blasts another hit into the Sea Gate.

"This is your plan, then?"Adora pants, looking up at Catra from under sweaty wisps of golden hair. "Just hit it until it breaks? That's not like you, Catra."

Catra spreads her arms out and shrugs. "Maybe I'm trying a new strategy. Or are you under the impression that you're the only one strong enough to break things?" She lunges for Adora, claws out; Adora just barely deflects them with her sword. Catra feints to the left, then ducks and scratches Adora's thighs, popping back up behind her – but Adora pivots and rises, stabbing the sword at Catra.

The world slows to the point of the sword as it comes at her face. Catra side-steps, but the blade nicks her cheek – Catra can feel warmth trickling down her face to her jaw. There's a flash in Adora's eyes, and if Catra hadn't trained with her all her life, she'd think the strength behind that blow had been meant to kill her. She leaps over Adora's head, landing on the barrel of the canon.

Shouldn't it have been meant to kill her?

If Adora is still trying to go easy on her, if she still thinks –

"Entrapta!" Catra roars, looking down at Adora. "Use your new upgrade!"

"Oh! Right!" Entrapta holds off the Archer with her hair while she takes her tracker pad out of her back pocket and presses her thumb to the screen. The base of the canon starts to glow green.

"No!" Adora yells, and launches herself into the air. She sweeps the sword up in an arc and flips it to stab downwards as she lands, crashing it right into the center of the glowing canon base.

The barrel of the canon creeks under Catra and she leaps off, flubbing her landing as the canon snaps off its base. The hard metal deck bangs into her elbow as she rolls, but she pushes herself to her knees in time to see Adora trying to heave the sword out from where it's lodged in the canon base. Adora's teeth are grit, her muscles straining, but the sword doesn't budge.

Then, red tendrils slither up from the canon's base and along She Ra's sword. "Wha –" Adora gasps. She leans backwards, but doesn't let go of the sword. The tendrils latch onto her arms and she stiffens. There's a bright flash of red light – Catra shields her eyes with her hand – and when it fades, Adora's straightening from a crouch, her eyes red and wide. In a second, she yanks the sword out of the canon base with one hand, flicking it outward; it rends a tear through the deck of the whole ship, nearly splitting it in half.

"Adora!" Glitter yells, but Adora's gaze lands on Catra. She grins, and it's – feral. Catra can't move.

Adora steps forward.

And Catra. Can't. Move.

"Catra!" Scorpia shouts. She appears behind Adora and backhands the sword out of Adora's grip – it clatters across the deck as Adora stumbles. Catra heaves in a breath and pounces on the sword, gripping it by the handle as she stands. She-Ra's guise evaporates off Adora, who sways and then drops as her knees give out. Scorpia catches her.

"Careful!"Catra warns. "It could be a trick."

Except Adora didn't play tricks, did she?

"What did you do?" Glitter screeches, running at Scorpia. Scorpia swerves out of the way, dragging Adora with her, and Glitter leaps at them, pulling her arm back to throw a fist full of...nothing.

She stops and blinks down at her hand. "Wha –" She shakes it, claps her hands a few times, and forms a fist again. Nothing happens. "Why can't I –" She gasps and looks over at Entrapta. "What did you do?"

"I – don't know," Entrapta says, her voice oddly small. Catra glances over to see that Entrapta is standing on her feet, clasping at a fistful of purple hair that falls all around her in a limp curtain. "I –" She waves the clump of hair around, and it flops back and forth like a dead fish. "It seems that neither of us can use our powers."

"What?" Glitter yells.

"You found a Princess-Power kill switch?" the Archer's voice cracks.

Something cold and new spreads through Catra's limbs – power? She looks from Entrapta's hair, hanging straight down from her head and pooling on the deck, to Scorpia, looking at her with wide eyes and holding up a snoring Adora.

Catra pulls her shoulders back and walks towards Adora.

"Don't touch her!" Glitter shrieks, but Catra points the sword at her and Glitter's fist falls an inch. Catra smirks.

She reaches out and grabs Adora's face, turning it up towards her. There's a smear of soot on Adora's cheek; her bangs have come out of her ponytail and hang off the side of her face. Catra grits her teeth. "Hey, Princess. Wake up."

Adora groans, crinkling her nose.

Catra's grip on Adora's face tightens. "I said, wake. Up."

Adora's eyelashes flutter, and she opens her eyes, squinting blearily at – "Catra!" she exclaims, beaming. Catra snaps her hand back. "Heeeeeeeeeeeey," Adora slurs, head listing to the side as she points a finger in Catra's face. "What're you doin' here?" she giggles.

Catra balks. Adora's...never sounded like this. Like Lonnie, that time as junior cadets they'd stolen some of the Officers' contraband distilled potato water. Like maybe, for once, she's not in control. The powerful cold feeling surges through Catra once more, prickling her palms.

Adora giggles again, and reaches both arms out towards Catra, leaning forward until Scorpia has to drag her back. "Nooo," Adora blows some hair out of her face and turns to look at Scorpia, "Not you. I mean, yur prolly great," she slurs, flopping an arm at Scorpia, then bringing it around to make grabby hands at Catra, "but Catra."

Catra smirks, then leans in until she's just out of Adora's reach and grins, baring her fangs at her. "What about me, Princess?"

"You're mean," Adora pouts, her entire bottom lip on display.

"Aw," Catra tuts, leaning back. "Am I?"

"Yeah," Adora nods, her head falling backwards and then falling forwards again. She makes grabby motions with both hands, now. "C'mere."

Catra's blood curdles; she can hear it roaring in her ears as they flatten against her head. Trust Adora to forget that they're enemies, to think that Catra will just do whatever she says, when she's – but from the corner of her eye, Catra sees Glitter, vibrating with rage but without a single sparkle on her, and Entrapta, who's running her fingers through her unmoving hair.

She steps back and crosses her arms over her chest, features settling to stone. "I guess we did find a Princess-Power kill switch."

"Argh!" Glitter throws herself towards her, swinging her staff, but Catra ducks away. Glitter turns to take on Scorpia, and Catra sees the Archer nock an arrow and point it at the base of the canon.

"Entrapta, move away!" he warns. "I'm going to –"

With a snarl, Catra swipes past Glitter, reaches out with one hand and yanks a languid Adora out of Scorpia's grip, pulling her tight against her own chest and holding her there with a hand against Adora's throat. She points She-Ra's sword at Glitter. "Careful, Princesses," she warns, eyes flicking to the Archer. "You wouldn't want to do anything rash, now, would you?"

Glitter stops in her tracks, teeth grit and fists clenched so tightly that Catra can see the tendons of her hand through the white of her gloves. The Archer freezes, arrow still nocked in his bow.

Glitter opens her mouth but is cut off as Adora snorts. "Rash," Adora murmurs, twisting in Catra's grip and snaking an arm around her. "Remem-ber when you went 'n the pipes to the tar maner – manufactor – the plant, and then you got – that rash and went all hissy –" Adora pops her head up to hiss right in Catra's face, her eyes scrunched closed, then sags onto Catra's shoulder. "'t was funny," she giggles into Catra's collarbone. "You w're cute."

Catra stands frozen. She is absolutely sure that she's not moving, but Adora keeps brushing up against her anyway, flapping her arms. "We should do that again," Adora sighs, and the gust of air blows through the fur on Catra's neck.

The roaring in Catra's ears thickens. With a growl, Catra yanks Adora away by her collar and holds her out at arms' length. Adora goes bonelessly, grinning dopily at her.

"The only thing you're doing, Princess," Catra spits, voice shaking, "is getting off my ship."

"Wha –" Glitter stutters, "You – you're not taking her?"

Catra takes a deep breath and then smirks over at Glitter. Sparkle-less Glitter, quaking and wide-eyed and powerless. "Well, as much fun as that was last time..." Catra chuckles. She takes a few steps backwards, dragging Adora and hefting She-Ra's sword up – then flings it over the side of the boat.

"Ah!" Glitter and the Archer run forward. The Archer aims a trick arrow after the sword, but Scorpia's tail snaps him back and he rolls across the deck, grunting.

"Bow!" Glitter cries, tears forming in her eyes as the Archer struggles back to his feet. Her gaze snaps back to Catra. "You – why would you get rid of the sword! Isn't that what you wanted?"

Catra rolls her eyes. "Do try to keep up, Princess. Without the sword, She-Ra is gone, and Adora..." she glances at Adora, who's wobbling in her grip. "Well Adora's just useless now, isn't she? Just another Horde defectee. I wonder how the forces of Bright Moon will hold up now that they've lost their hero?"

"You horrible – monster!" Glitter snarls. "Look at her! How could you do this? To someone who used to be your friend!"

"Used to be," Catra growls, shaking Adora slightly. "You're her friends now, so you can deal with her. We are leaving, so you can get off my ship, and then I'll toss your precious friend down to you."

"And what about your friend," the Archer asks, gesturing at Entrapta. "Whatever you did to Adora is affecting her, too!"

Catra sweeps her eyes over Entrapta. Entrapta is examining her hair between her hands, and now that Catra looks, she can see them shaking. "It's – interesting," Entrapta says, her voice more robotic than Emily's beeps and buzzes. "I – did not expect this result. But...what an amazing scientific discovery."

The cold feeling again – it's getting stronger. Catra shrugs at the Archer. "You heard her. She's all for scientific progress."

"Entrapta!" Glitter entreats. "This is madness! We can help you! You don't have to let her treat you this way."

"Yeah, Entrapta," Catra mocks, "You can go back to the Princess brigade and have them take you for granted again. Or you can come back with us and research this incredibly impressive thing you accomplished today." She pauses for effect. "I wonder if this has affected the Black Garnet at all?"

A tiny glint comes back into Entrapta's eyes. "I...I should check on that, yes. For science."

"You can't be serious," the Archer pleads.

Catra snorts. "She can be whatever she wants. You don't have to like it." Catra's liking this, though. Princess powers gone, She-Ra gone, and all thanks to her. Well. And Scorpia and Entrapta, technically.

Scorpia coughs. "Uh, Catra?"

"Entrapta's not being who she wants if you're forcing her to be this way!" the Archer argues.

Catra throws her head back and laughs. "And what would you know about it? People aren't always who you want them to be!"

The Archer and Glitter both flinch.

"Catra?" Scorpia repeats.

Catra ignores her. "Alright," she says. "All rebel princesses and plus ones, off my ship." She grins at Glitter and reels Adora back in a little, holding her up like a prize. "Go on."

Glitter cries out in frustration.

"Uh – sorry, um, Lieutenant Catra? I really think you should see –"

"What, Scorpia?" Catra hisses, but as she looks over her shoulder, she sees exactly what.

The Salineas Sea Gate is – red. The same glowing, pulsing red that was the jewel on She-Ra's infected sword is spread between the pillars of the Gate like a curtain. Adora twirls around and leans against Catra, trying to see, and behind her, Adora's friends gasp.

"The Sea Gate is infected, too?" the Archer squawks. "How?"

Scorpia looks at Catra like Catra would somehow know the answer. "Entrapta!" Catra rounds on her. "Did infecting the sword and She-Ra infect the Gate, too?"

"I...it's a worthy hypothesis," Entrapta hedges, still fingering her hair. She shuffles towards the edge of the deck and stares across the water at the Gate. "I'd have to run an experiment to test it."

Catra rolls her eyes. "Well is there anything you can tell us without running an experiment."

"Hmmm," Entrapta hums, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back again.

"Why five?" Adora asks, loudly, right in Catra's ear.

Catra starts and pushes Adora's face away. "What did you say?"

Adora giggles. "Five," she repeats, twisting around and throwing her arms around Catra's neck, pressing up into Catra's chest. "'s this part of your plan?" she whispers, right in Catra's face. "You have good plans. 'z the worst. Izzat why the the gate'z flashing letters?"

Something – pride? – is flaring in Catra's chest, a fire quickly spreading. It's about time Adora noticed that Catra is the brains of the operation, that Catra's got her right where she wants her. Catra pokes a finger to Adora's forehead, stilling her. "Letters?" Catra prompts, glancing over at the Gate. It is flashing a bright red design that looks familiar from that damn First Ones ruin she was stuck in.

"First Ones' writing?" the Archer asks, peering at the Gate. "Why it is different from what was there before?"

Catra has a more interesting question. "What does it say?"

Adora scrunches her nose, then pokes a finger at Catra's mouth. "You have pointy teeth –"

Catra snaps those teeth at her, glaring. Adora snatches her hand back, wide-eyed and pink in the face. With a snarl, Catra hauls Adora up and around, propping Adora's body against hers so that Adora is facing the Gate. Adora relaxes back against her with a small hum.

"What does it say," Catra growls, shaking her.

"Don't shake her!" Glitter and the Archer screech in unison.

"Mmmm," Adora tilts her head to the side. "'t says... 'She-ra comprom-ized'." Her head rolls a little but she continues, "Inni-tiate Li'hope proto...mmm five."

"Uh," squeaks the Archer. "Could you repeat that?"

Scorpia walks right up to Adora, leans down, and squints at her. Adora blinks back. "I think..." Scorpia says, standing back up and looking at Catra, eyebrows creased, "what she said was: 'She-ra compromised. Initiate Light Hope protocol five'."

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A/N: I know Catra canonically calls Glimmer 'Sparkles,' and I love that so much, but I had her using "Glitter' here before I saw season 2 and have become Attached.

My interpretation of Catra for this fic is going to be different in a lot of ways from the series (but also similar in a lot of ways), so please let me know what you think! I'm really liking the Canon-Catra arc but it also...hurts so much...I'm not going to pretend this AU is all fun and butterflies but I think (hope?) it will be a bit of a break from the sweet, heartbreaking heartbreak of season 3. And whatever season 4 has in store for us...oh god.