Flicker ✦ STEVE ROGERS¹ [✓]

28 | COUSIN LUCA

ABOUT THREE MONTHS HAD PASSED SINCE THE FALL OF S.H.I.E.L.D.. Kato now sat on the roof of her apartment, sketching absentmindedly in a notebook as she stared out at the city before her. The file Natasha had given her lay wide open beside her, its contents already looking well-worn. Which was warranted, considering she'd spent three months combing through it.

Ever since the meeting with Fury in the graveyard, Kato had done her best to uncover more about her origins - her true origins. The file Natasha had given her had helped with that; it was the file VICE had on her before she escaped. But the file could only do so much, and it didn't help that all of Kato's leads had wound up being dead ends. All she could find out was that she was, in fact, not from Earth, and had arrived on the planet when she was a baby. But other than that, she found nothing else.

Kato couldn't deny that she was frustrated. She just wanted to know who she really was and where she came from. Why was that so hard? Why was it so hard to find out where she came from? Was everyone trying to keep that information from her? But why? Why would anyone prevent her from finding out the truth?

Kato sighed, putting her notebook down and staring up at the sky. The warm sunlight washed over her face, and she sighed in content as her eyes closed. No matter what planet she really came from, the Earth was her home. And she would gladly give her life to defend it.

"You know... you, Kato, are a very hard woman to find."

Kato's eyes flew open, and she jumped to her feet. Much to her shock, a man was hovering in the air in front of her, his body illuminated by the sun behind him. But it wasn't just the fact that he was flying that was shocking. It was also his outfit. He wore a skintight navy blue body suit with a red "S" on the chest and a flowing red cape. Kato had never seen anything like it.

"Who the hell are you?!" Kato demanded, her hands balling into fists.

The man raised his hand. "There's no need to get all defensive. I just want to talk."

Kato's eyes narrowed. She didn't know who this man was or why he was wearing such a ridiculous costume. But after escaping from VICE and then having all her information put on the internet, she wasn't taking any chances. So, she narrowed her eyes before firing the lasers from them, aimed directly at the strange man. However, that was when he did the unthinkable. His eyes glowed as well, and he fired his own lasers from his eyes. They easily overpowered Kato's, and she was knocked off her feet and went tumbling backwards several feet. Then, she landed hard on her stomach, the wind slightly knocked out of her.

Kato was shocked, but didn't spend much time to dwell on it. She jumped to her feet and blew her frost breath at the man. But once again, he matched her powers with his own frost breath, which overpowered hers once more. In mere seconds, Kato was frozen in place from the neck down, encased in a thick block of ice.

Kato looked up at the man, her eyes wide in shock. There was no way in hell that this was possible. This man... he could do exactly what she could do. She couldn't believe it. Did that mean that he was like her? Did that mean she wasn't alone? Were there more like her out there?

"That's enough of that," the man said, descending down from the sky and landing in front of her. "Now, before you go all crazy and make a mess of your apartment building, allow me to expla-"

"Who are you?" Kato rushed out, cutting him off. "Where did you come from? How can you do that? Is there anyone-"

The man held up his hand, silencing her instantly. Then, he drew back his fist and punched the block of ice that held Kato in place. The ice shattered, and Kato dropped to her hands and knees before she got to her feet and met the man's eyes.