Combustion ✦ STEVE ROGERS² [✓]

30 | PEACE

WHEN KATO WOKE UP, SHE WAS GREETED BY NOTHING BUT BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT.

For a few moments, she thought she was dead. But as she blinked a few times to clear her vision, she could make out a ceiling above her, made of strangely carved black stone with little white orbs set into it. She couldn't be dead if she was seeing that.

Kato sat up, wincing as a dull ache throbbed in her shoulder. Looking around, she realized that she most definitely wasn't dead, for she recognized her surroundings as one of the rooms in the Haxodonian ship belonging to the other Survivors. She was laying on a smooth, flat table-like structure, and when she looked to her left, she saw the massive floor-to-ceiling window there, showing the entire globe in all its glory.

Kato looked down. She wasn't wearing her suit anymore; instead, she was wearing a white tank top and dark jeans, and her feet were bare. And when she reached out and touched her shoulder - the same one that had been injured - she didn't feel an open wound. All she felt was a small, hard, star-shaped scar, right where she had been shot. And it confused her. How had she been healed? The wound that Tony's projectile had inflicted had gone deep - not to mention he'd broken her arm and her ribs. But now she felt absolutely fine. So how could the injuries have healed so quickly?

Suddenly Kato heard footsteps. She looked up in alarm, only to relax when she saw it was just Jason. He was strolling in with what looked to be an oddly-designed tablet in his arms, but when he looked up and saw Kato, he grinned.

"Good," Jason said with a nod. "You're awake." He held the tablet out, and a series of alien cables and wires rose out of the floor before attaching to the tablet, turning it into a small podium. Then he turned to Kato and raised an eyebrow. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Kato said slowly. She glanced around, then looked at Jason. "How long was I out?"

"About a week," Jason told her with a shrug.

Kato's eyes went wide. "A week?!"

"Yep." Jason nodded and turned back to the podium. "You were banged up pretty good, though. Broken arm and three broken ribs. Not to mention that Haxodonite in your blood." He shook his head. "You're lucky that Luca brought you here when he did. You were dangerously close to death." He began tapping the tablet on the podium. "To make matters worse, getting that stuff out of your system wasn't easy. Whoever manufactured it definitely knew what they were doing."

Kato's shoulders sagged. She knew exactly who had manufactured the synthetic Haxodonite. And it still filled her with horror at the thought. She thought Tony had trusted her, had enough faith in her to know she wouldn't turn on the team. But evidently his inability to stand up to Secretary Ross had outweighed his faith in Kato's good intentions.

Pushing aside her horror, Kato looked over at Jason, trying to get a peek at what was on the tablet. "So what happened to Luca, anyway? Where is he?"

"Back in Kansas, most likely," Jason replied. "Once I was able to flush all the Haxodonite out of your bloodstream and assured him you were going to live, I sent him back home. Being here waiting for you to wake up would only cause him stress." He then waved his hand as Kato opened her mouth to speak, adding quickly, "Don't worry, I'm sending a message ahead to him now to let him know you're awake. He should be here within half an hour."

Kato was silent for several moments, going over his words. Then, she took a deep breath. "What about Steve?"

Jason turned around to face her. "What about him?"

"Is he alright?" Kato asked. "Where is he?"

Jason chuckled, holding out a hand. "Relax, Kato. I sent Ailith to check up on him the day Luca brought you here. He's fine, and so is his friend. But he's searching for you. He's as worried about you as Luca was."