Steve Rogers woke up at the crack of dawn, as usual. The old military habits were difficult to break, but he found a sense of comfort in the familiar routine. The world may have changed around him, different people, culture shifts, new technology, and more. However, the repetitive dawn and dusk of the sun was one of the few constants he could depend on. The sun didn't care about new technology, or the rise and fall of civilization. It simply was. That simplicity was comforting. No matter what happened, it would always be there, giving life and warmth to the planet.

He got dressed and made his way to the living room of his apartment. The place was small, but generally nice. The walls barren, and the rooms fairly empty. He would be fixing that soon. Maybe he should drag Ammy shopping with him for various items. The apartment was only a few blocks away from where he grew up, so the area was familiar to an extent. SHIELD was kind enough to fund his residency as long as he worked for them; one of the minor perks of working for a super secret government organization.

Rounding the corner, Steve fully expected to see the wolf asleep on that big nest of blankets and clothing she curled up on last night. However, the pile of fabric was very much wolf-less. The only indication Amaterasu had even been there in the first place was the frankly absurd amount of white fur left behind; how the wolf wasn't bare at this point was beyond him.

"Good morning," Steve called out. Silence was the only response. He took a moment and then continued. "I was planning on heading to the store to grab some stuff for breakfast." He waited for a reply from the food-motivated lupine.

Still nothing. If that didn't get the wolf to come running, then she must truly be gone. Odd, but not unexpected. She was likely running around the city already, popping by hospitals to help, or terrorizing the locals by sprinting laps around Central Park. Maybe she was visiting her shrine. Whatever it was that she got up to in her free time.

Considering his current active mission was to 'keep her out of trouble' Steve decided a quick trip to Central Park was in order. He decided against anything to hide his face or make it harder to recognize him, just in case any of the public tried to harass him for going into her shrine.

The plainclothes Captain America left his apartment and began an early morning jog through the streets. Jog was relative, of course, considering his speed was far higher than that of any normal person. Most cars on the streets didn't have the speed to keep up due to the traffic and congestion of the roads, so going on foot was faster for Steve.

Weaving around people, through cars, or keeping to one side of the footpath, Steve's 'jog' took him to Central Park from Brooklyn in roughly thirty minutes. He could have gone faster, but he didn't want to go too crazy before even having breakfast. Besides, it was a nice morning out, relatively warm, and he wanted to enjoy himself. Sure a few people were startled or snapped some photos of him during his run, but overall, it was just a wonderful morning to be outside.

Eventually, he came upon Central Park, slowing down to a walk as he entered the area. He kept his eye out for any speeding blurs of white fluff in the distance, readying himself to be slammed into by the monstrous wolf. There was nothing, though. Still, it wasn't unexpected, and he made his way toward the shrine.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if the existence of the shrine broke any property laws or violated some city code. The fact that the structure was still here weeks after just appearing spoke volumes. Either SHIELD was forcing the city to keep it, the mayor was grateful for the wolf's efforts, or the public outcry for removing it would be large enough to warrant a blind eye to the structure.

Steve eventually came upon the shrine and glanced around. Amaterasu hadn't been seen publicly since she entered the building in the center. People were still waiting outside for her. Fortunately, that number seemed to dwindle as they noticed that, even after the sun came up, there was still no sign of the wolf. The only remaining ones seemed to be the stubborn or desperate ones, looking for some impossible help, or some news coverage of the magical lupine.

The few dozen that remained sat around aimlessly, cameras set up or leaned up against the wall, plucking at grass or texting on their phones. When Steve approached, several people looked up, before returning to their devices. It took a moment, but then they did a double-take, recognizing the Avenger from the news. There was a scramble as one moved to approach him, only for Steve to walk right by with an "excuse me."

He took a quick glance at the artwork he and Amaterasu had painted, giving a faint smile at the sight. It was still in perfect condition; vibrant, messy, and just as fun as when they first made it. The paint even looked damp, and if he squinted, it almost seemed like the water was flowing and the leaves were shifting; a trick of the light, perhaps.

Still, he walked by, ignoring those that began to call out to him. His first priority was checking on the 'goddess', and then he'd be happy to talk to the others. He made his way up the stone pathway, glancing over to the vibrant pink trees, and the brilliant green grass. There was a new addition in the corner, some kind of plant, but he was unsure what type it was. Maybe Ammy was taking up gardening. Hobbies were incredibly important, and she seemed to have a natural affinity toward art and caring for plant life.

Steve approached the structure in the center of the shrine, climbing onto the surprisingly spotless steps. He would have expected people to be entering and exiting constantly. He knocked and waited a moment. Then, knocked once more. He raised a brow and pushed open the doors after hearing nothing within. He stepped into the shrine proper and glanced around. It was empty.

Well, there went that idea. With no wolf sprinting toward him, nor running laps around the park, and not in either his apartment or the shrine, that left few places she could be. She couldn't be running around to hospitals, because the people on their phones outside seemed bored, and not actively following posts about the live location of the lupine. Unfortunately for them, Steve did have a way to find Ammy.

The super soldier left the shrine and began making his way toward the SHIELD headquarters. Thankfully, her collar tracker would allow Steve to find her exact location. He didn't enjoy using it because it felt like an invasion of privacy to him. Magic wolves deserved privacy too.

Still, he had a mission to do at the behest of Fury, and he would make sure Ammy kept out of trouble. He'd rather not have powerful authority figures breathing down the neck of someone whom he empathized so closely with.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

"Hello?"

"Hello, Killian. It's nice to finally talk to you."

"Who is this?"

"A friend, of sorts. The person you called came to my boss, who came to me. You're playing with fire, involving someone as high profile as Amaterasu in your project."

"Oh, am I? I can assure you, you don't know the first thing about playing with fire. Choose your words carefully. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"I work for an organization that is very interested in projects like yours. We would like to acquire some of it. Of course, that would be a benefit to you; we can fund your research further, and we have certain… allies in the government that can get you out of a hot spot and offer protections, should it ever come to that."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Well, Amaterasu is currently on your private jet, heading toward you now. We did that. We've also disabled the tracking and communications on her collar. I'd recommend you find a way to remove it and destroy it within twenty-four hours, just so SHIELD doesn't have the option to find her. We're ensuring that everything appears normal, so you should have ample time to complete your project."

"I see… and what would you require of me?"

"Finish the project, quickly if you can. Put aside a batch of a dozen samples for us to collect at a later date. If Amaterasu's abilities don't work out, we'll personally fund your project with several million dollars a month for the next year, or until its completion. Whichever comes first."

"And if I refuse?"

"We'll kill the Vice President's daughter and remove any leverage you have."

"I see."

"I look forward to working with you, Killian."

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Amaterasu's day began as any other one did: with the dawn. Her morning had been brief, as she had less than an hour to get to the airport and meet Maya there. Before leaving she decided to prepare for the road. Using the trick that Christine Palmer had shown her—she was enthused to know the paw placement worked—the wolf opened Steve's fridge and took a box of leftover pizza.

…and an extra slice, which dangled from her jaws as she ran through the streets, not bothering to cloak herself in an illusion. It was early and she didn't find it busy enough to warrant hiding herself. That did lead to a photo or two of the wolf being taken, with her fur slicked back in the wind, eyes wide, pizza dangling from her jaws as she ran. Not that she noticed, too busy trying to figure out how to sprint and eat at the same time. She hadn't worked out the proper method by the time she had reached the plane, unfortunately.

The flight itself had also been a unique experience. Sure, she had flown on that Quinjet before when she had to sneak aboard the Helicarrier, but this was different. She didn't have to hide, conceal her magic, or teleport herself through the floor of the flying vehicle every twenty minutes or so. Instead, she had the freedom to run around, wander up and down the aisles, and explore! She had even found some snacks stashed up by the pilot's chair, much to the woman's extreme dislike. The swatting hands and panicked shrieking, followed by the lurch of the plane had led to Ammy cutting her exploration short. It was like the pilot had never been face-to-face with a wolf before. Humans were so weird sometimes.

Instead, she decided to curl up and have a nap right in the middle of the floor. It was only Ammy, Maya, and the pilot, so the lack of room to wander wasn't really a concern. That, and they didn't have any bench seats installed! It was truly a crime not to have a nice flat surface to drape herself across. If she were to complain, the lack of breakfast foods on board was also disappointing. Still, the views were nice and the company friendly, so she found the flight easy to handle when she wasn't napping.

At the end of the flight—and a really good nap—Ammy followed Maya off the plane and into another vehicle. This one was far comfier and fancier inside than Stephen Strange's sports car. Everything inside was plush, soft, and tasted weird. She ignored the confused looks she received from two of the larger men sitting in the vehicle, and merely gave Maya a happy, tongue-lolled-out grin. Then, went back to exploring around while the vehicle moved to their destination, complete with huffs and snorks and little licks of various surfaces.

A short ride later and the Goddess of the Sun found herself standing before a massive home. Sure, the safe house that Steve and Natasha and Clint stayed in was decently roomy. This place could likely house ten of those buildings and still have room left over. Ammy's jaw dropped as she took it all in, glancing around at the greenery surrounding the white building, then the pillars, and finally, the gorgeous view out over the water.

"Pretty nice, right?" Maya spoke up from Ammy's side. The wolf closed her jaws with a click and looked up at the woman, tilting her head to the side. "This is my boss's place, but he lets us stay here. It's nice being able to work from home like this. And come on, all the nature around us? It's wonderful."

Amaterasu couldn't help but agree, nodding to the woman. Truly this place was wonderful, and a fantastic display of artwork and cohabitation alongside nature. Sure, the large concrete slab beneath their feet wasn't the most visually appealing, and Ammy would have much preferred a small brick path, but she kept her complaints to herself. After all, it was a far cry better than the bland, dreary mess of New York. Not that the city was boring, just that, other than Central Park, some screens, and signs, most of the city felt lacking; artificial in a way. This place avoided those issues entirely, and gave a sense of fulfillment and a connection to nature that Ammy hadn't been able to feel outside of the parks and limited greenspace in New York.

"Well, come on inside. I can show you around after, but I want to introduce you to my boss," Maya spoke, walking forward. Amaterasu padded along behind her, her tail wagging. "You know, he's a big fan of nature too. He wanted all the trees and land to remain mostly untouched, and then added in those fancy bushes and everything. Though, I think some trees there might look better. Cherry trees, perhaps?"

Maya turned to wink at the wolf, and Ammy barked happily in response. Amaterasu was very much enjoying this little trip so far. It wasn't too terribly far away from New York as far as running went, there was green everywhere, and apparently the person that wanted to meet her loved nature! This was looking to be a wonderful little adventure indeed.

Making their way inside, Amaterasu was greeted with the sight of multiple people standing in the middle of the room. They were all rather imposing compared to the regular citizens she interacted with daily. Faces set with scowls or neutral expressions, standing upright and on guard. The room was a little warm, but not overly so; it felt as if a space heater was running constantly. Her eyes flitted over the people standing around—some of them with guns at their hip—and focused on the very cheery, fancily dressed man standing in the middle. Despite the rough-looking individuals, the atmosphere of the room was relaxed, and the warm air easy to take in.

"Maya, right on time. I trust you had a good trip?" The man spoke, stepping forward to draw the woman into a hug. Maya tensed a little, looking uncomfortable and confused, but returned the hug after a moment. "I'm almost jealous, I haven't been to New York in quite some time. But, ah, where are my manners?" He released his hold on the woman and brushed off his suit, turning to face the wolf.

"You must be Amaterasu. My name is Aldrich Killian, owner, and founder, of Advanced Idea Mechanics," Aldrich spoke in a calm, collected voice. Very professional indeed, his mannerisms reminded Ammy of how Pepper talked to her. It made sense, considering Pepper ran Tony's company, that Aldrich would have similar mannerisms and speech.

Killian kneeled down and stuck out a hand, holding it out for Ammy to shake as if he were greeting any other person. The Goddess was delighted by this, and sat down, raising a paw and dropping it into his hand with a meaty smack. She liked this interaction quite a lot. No worship or looking up to her, nor begging for her attention. They were coming across as equals, and the wolf greatly appreciated that. After a brief handshake and a squeeze from Killian, the two separated.

"I apologize, but I do have to say it. I wasn't really sure what to make of you at first when I saw you on the news." Killian stood up, and wiped his hand on his pantleg with a quick move. "But then I saw the video of you healing someone on the street. Then there were more videos, more people." He seemed excited; his grin impossible to hide. "Then there were the hospitals. Everyone here was impressed," the people around him nodded, "when we heard what you did. Thousands of people! Healing cuts, broken bones, even some light cancers and tumors! Hospitalizations for some addictions were cured. I teared up a little when I saw little Terry and Amelia on TV telling everyone what you did."

Ammy's tail wagged faster at that, and she gave an excited little yip. She was just doing what anyone with her abilities should do, no thanks required. Though, some praise and acknowledgment were incredibly helpful and kind. All of this coming from someone that treated her as an equal felt nice, and it was clear that Aldrich had done his research before trying to reach out to her.

"What you did, what you are doing, is exactly the kind of thing we're looking for here at AIM," Aldrich continued. He took a step back and Maya followed him, coming to stand at his side. Aldrich spread his arms and gestured to the people around him. "Amaterasu, what you see here are people who have been hurt by this world. They went out to keep their friends, family, and country safe and were hurt for it. Some of their friends and colleagues were killed. He," Killian pointed to a man on his right, "lost his leg when his friend stepped on a landmine. She," he gestured to a woman on his left, "lost her arm up to the shoulder when shrapnel from a car bomb hit her."

Amaterasu stood in a mix of horror, confusion, and sadness. These people being hurt and killed for trying to do what was right… That made something inside of her burn just a little hotter. The world needed more people willing to do what was right and help those in need. Ammy tried to do as much herself.

"What we want to do is heal people. Help those who have been hurt and let down by society. With our project, we've been able to restore lost limbs, heal scars, and much, much more," Killian flashed a smile at that. "I myself used to be horribly impacted by my birth defects, but that didn't stop me. Using Extremis, we fixed that. Amaterasu, Ammy, I would like your help to complete our project. We are so close, and I believe your abilities will be able to push us to the finish line. We can help so many people."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Killian stepped forward and leaned down, looking at the surprised wolf. Ammy was reeling. Restoring body parts that had been cut off? Fixing the defects one was born with? A permanent, safe, working solution to helping and healing people all over the world?

She was sold. Of course, she wanted to wait and see exactly what was happening and how the process worked. But if it was as good as was being claimed…

"So, what do you say? Wanna give us that little push we need?" Killian asked, looking Ammy right in the eye. "Do you want to help us improve the lives of millions; of billions? Help us make the world a better place?"

Yes, she very much wanted to help. She was still cautious, but this seemed like a worthy endeavor. She was more than willing to give it a shot if it meant that so many lives would be touched by it and improved. In addition, being surrounded by people willing to help and those that had been assisted by the project just proved it was a successful experiment. They just needed her help to push it to perfection.

Amaterasu gave a firm nod, and an excited bark, her tail wagging freely.

Killian grinned, his perfect white teeth glimmering in the light.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

Steve Rogers found himself relatively alone in one of the computer rooms within SHIELD headquarters. It was quiet. Most of the people that had been populating it finally boarded the partially repaired Helicarrier and began the trip back to the Triskelion in Washington D.C. The sudden departure left the building fairly quiet on this floor, and people were still moving their workspaces back up from the basement, or wherever they had been able to cram some extra space.

This just allowed Steve to use the computers uninterrupted, logging in with his SHIELD ID number and a password. These devices were much more his speed; physical buttons to interact with and clear, easy-to-use layouts. Nothing like those complicated all-in-one devices that people referred to as modern phones. He was starting to get used to them. However, the lack of noticeable input response threw him for a loop on more than one occasion.

Reminiscing aside, Steve rifled his way through the folder system he had access to, opening up the link for Ammy's file. Everything seemed accurate with the information, and he moved the mouse to access the interface that displayed Amaterasu's location.

Access Denied.

Steve furrowed his brow. He knew he should have access to this since he was able to check it yesterday without any issues. Why was it giving him grief now? He tried again, only to be met with the same result.

Access Denied.

Something wasn't right. Steve moved to the previous page and looked over the information once more. Her rough height and weight were listed without issue, as were the physical dimensions of the wolf. That was about the only thing that didn't have a question mark in her file. Her speed, strengths, weaknesses, and other attributes were all a list of question marks. Then there were her abilities… the list looked like it grew longer every time Steve glanced at it, and a frustrated note by one of the record keepers mentioned as much. There were even little disagreements on her physical appearance, with people unable to decide if the wolf had red markings on her fur or not. If nothing else, Amaterasu was good for causing absolute chaos in robust and standardized systems that had long been proven useful and effective.

There was a small update he hadn't noticed during his first passthrough on her page though. A little detail that hadn't been there yesterday.

Mission Status: Standby.

Now that wasn't right. Steve was meant to be watching over her and ensuring she remained in a positive light to the public—not that Amaterasu needed help with that. But he couldn't expand the information to determine what was going on. Why would she have an option for missions? When did she get the clearance for missions in the first place? This could hardly be a mistake, but would likely explain why he couldn't access her location; can't exactly be pinging tracking equipment if you're trying to stay hidden.

Attempting to request access was only met with a notification that he needed someone at a level seven security clearance or higher to approve it. That shouldn't have been the case. Fury had given him full access to Amaterasu's files, or so he said. Still, the request for access was sent through, and there was nothing he could do about it right now. He'd have to wait for notification on the phone SHIELD supplied him.

He did have the option to call Coulson, or Fury, or any number of others that he had been able to speak with in person after the whole invasion. It didn't seem extremely pressing at this moment to harass the Director, nor any of the higher-ups just yet. Steve was more than capable of checking out where the wolf normally went first. Ammy being out and about without the tracker wasn't the end of the world, and the lupine wasn't exactly helpless on her own. Heck, Steve had seen the video of her throwing Loki around and flipping the Asgardian over like it was some kind of martial arts tournament. It was highly amusing and eased his concern over the wolf.

Ammy was faster and stronger now than she had been at the time of the invasion. She'd be able to take care of herself if something came up. In addition, she had a panic button on her collar if things went poorly. She'd be fine. He was more worried about anyone else that tried to pick a fight with her.

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

"Rogers just tried to access Amaterasu's location, sir."

"You did what I asked?"

"Yes, sir. His access is revoked, phone disabled, and the tracking location is faked to a California address. Anything directly related to Amaterasu's file is suffering a minor communications error."

"Good, good. You managed to get access to AIM's servers?"

"Yes, sir. The intel was right, they're working on something similar to the super soldier serum. It causes the body to heal at an absurd rate, and enhances strength and reflexes. It takes gene editing and DNA sequencing to a whole new level. Unfortunately, the specifics are kept offline, so we do need to wait for their work to complete."

"That hardly matters. If it comes down to it, we collect the living users and study them. We want to prioritize the scientists and CEO. Ideally, no one notices anything and we can collect the samples like Killian said. If SHIELD decides to investigate though…"

"I have that covered, sir. I'm using AIM servers to connect to the SHIELD database. If anything goes wrong, I 'slip up' and have a signal come from their servers. SHIELD is going to think AIM was at fault for the breach. Besides, they wanted Amaterasu, this helps sell the misdirection if SHIELD notices."

"I knew I made the right decision recruiting you. Even if this whole thing fails, we still have the option to free them, and then use our agents in Congress to reroute the seized company assets. Having a company like AIM under our command will be immensely useful."

"Anything else you'd like to know, Mr. Garrett?"

"Not at the moment, keep me posted. Also, don't burn those bridges with AIM unless it's necessary to keep Hydra hidden."

"Yes, sir. Heil Hydra."

"Heil Hydra."

~{O}~{O}~{O}~

"It's a little frustrating, in all honesty," Aldrich admitted. "These billionaires just manage to get away with it, or it's all shuffled around and lost in a sea of paperwork. That's why when Extremis is finished, we can branch out, use it to help heal animals and plants harmed by these environmental disasters. Then, of course, use the funding to put those responsible behind bars for a long time."

Amaterasu listened in rapt attention, ears cocked to the side as the two wandered their way through the grounds of Killian's mansion. He had sent Maya off somewhere, and dismissed most of the guards that had been there when Ammy had arrived. Now it was just the wolf and Killian making their way through the trees bordering his property, followed in the distance by two of his bodyguards.

"I'm sure you can appreciate what we're working toward, Ammy," Killian glanced down to her. An affirmative bark was the only reply he needed to continue. "We've only got this one planet, and we need to keep it alive. You being here will absolutely help, I'm certain of it. In the grand scheme of things, what we do as of right now isn't going to have much immediate impact. But five, ten, twenty years from now, things could be so different. Cancer can be a thing of the past, and we could heal entire forests from fires in an instant. This is why I appreciate your willingness to help."

Ammy found herself agreeing with a lot of what Aldrich said. She hadn't been aware of all these massive problems plaguing this world. Oil spills, chemical releases, ozone destruction, acid rain, forest clear cutting; the list went on and on and on. Amaterasu found herself realizing that if she wanted to fix things she needed to do a lot more than just heal the injured. She would need help, and a lot of it.

"Speaking of healing plant life, I think Maya should have everything ready for us. If you'd follow me to the basement, Maya can show you what we've been doing, and what we'd like you to do."

Another affirmative bark had their little group back into the house. She followed Killian through the mansion, and then down a flight of stairs. They were immediately surrounded by more solid construction, concrete walls and metal railings becoming more commonplace. Despite going deeper underground, the area grew warmer and the air more humid.

Killain, Amaterasu, and the two armed bodyguards eventually entered a rather high-tech area. It reminded Amaterasu of the basement of Tony Stark's building, with all the equipment and tables and testing apparatuses laying around. Something the wolf found peculiar were the potted plants on shelves, behind absurdly thick glass, a couple hooked up to a number of tubes with glowing fluid within them. Each was separated by what seemed to be two feet of concrete and metal.

A number of people were down in the basement, messing with vials of the glowing fluid, or punching data into their computers. Ammy and Killian ignored them all, and instead approached Maya, who stood at a computer before the five plants. In the back of her mind, Amaterasu found the five ferns imprisoned in a chamber like Loki's hilarious, and couldn't help the little huff of amusement that escaped her. Evidently, these people saw a small houseplant as more of a risk than SHIELD did Loki.

"Maya, you have everything set up for Amaterasu?" Aldrich asked.

"Of course," Maya replied. "Amaterasu, if you could follow me, please?" She then tapped a key on the keyboard, and a warning buzzer sounded out, making Ammy jump. One of the large glass barriers began descending into the floor, and the activity around the room slowed to a halt for a moment.

Ammy ignored the eyes on her and followed Maya toward the chamber. The sound of her claws on the concrete sounded entirely too loud in the room now, and she lifted them just a tad in her steps. The duo entered the chamber, Maya standing near the plant, while Ammy sat down near the entrance to the chamber and giving the woman room to work.

"Alright, let's see if I can keep this quick and easy," Maya mused. She turned to face the wolf, and hummed in thought. "Okay, so, to reiterate, what we are aiming to do with Extremis is to encourage healing in living things to a high degree. Regrow missing limbs in a minute, heal cuts in seconds, and generally help people be able to survive injuries that would normally kill them," Maya explained. She turned to face the fern, and gripped one of the fronds in her fingers. "I started experimenting on plants, and we've come a long way over the years."

Maya yanked the frond off the plant, and dropped it to the floor. She stepped back a few paces, allowing Amaterasu to get a good look at the fern. Ammy padded closer, curious, tilting her head and leaning in. She blinked and reeled back a touch as the stem the frond had been torn from started glowing orange and began smoking. Immediately, material started growing from the stem and sprouted upward and outward. More and more of the plant started to grow back, splitting the main stem into leaves as it restored the missing frond.

In seconds, Ammy was staring in shock at the healed plant, nothing missing. She glanced down at the floor to the plant piece laying there, and then looked back at the newly grown frond. It was identical, down to the little half curled piece on a leaf on the left. Amaterasu blinked, and looked once more, inspecting the plant, pressing her nose in to smell it, using her magic senses to look at it. Nothing was out of the ordinary, it was just a plant.

"That's what we're aiming for," Maya explained, interrupting Ammy's exploration of the fern. "We do have a few issues with it though. This one managed to stabilize and as long as it doesn't take too much damage at once, it'll be able to keep repairing and healing itself over and over again."

Maya led Ammy out of the chamber and back to the computer. At this point Killian had left the room, and most of the other scientists had returned to work, typing on their computers, or talking with one another. The large glass panel rose back up, sealing the super scary fern into its chamber once more.

"There's a small issue with Extremis, however. You see, what it does is use a mix of nano-tech and bio-tech to rewrite DNA and sort of 'fill in' the repair center in living things," Maya explained. "The problem is when something takes too much damage, or the DNA rejects the treatment. Extremis tends to heat up the body to a high degree, and it can get dangerously hot. All we need to do is solve the issue of rejection, and limit the exponential heat growth. I know there's some sort of limit we can put on it, we just have to find the point where the living thing goes past what it can handle. That's why you're here!"

Amaterasu cocked her head, glancing over to the thick chamber walls with the plants behind them. Well, the thick walls would be explained if something got too hot. How hot did they get though? Surely not overly so, considering how little heat was needed to seriously hurt someone. Then again, if this healed people, even if they were burning, they would recover. That was a concerning thought, burning alive but still healing. That sounded extraordinarily painful, and Amaterasu found herself wishing she had access to her fire-based abilities once again.

"Would you mind coming with me? I'd like to run some tests and figure out just how your abilities work. More specifically, the effects on living things, and how the healing knows when to stop." Maya stepped forward to a hallway and waited at the entrance, looking back at Ammy.

Amaterasu hummed to herself, and then walked over to Maya, following after her. The scientist began leading the wolf down the hallway, through a few short, sharp turns, and then into another room. This room was far smaller, more of an office than anything. Two plants were sitting on the floor, inside of a large white plastic and metal box.

"Uh, before we start, I do need to do something," Maya said. She turned to Ammy and knelt down before the wolf. She looked a little uncertain, and her hands clenched then relaxed a couple times. "The… sensors in the box are pretty sensitive. I'll have to remove your collar so it doesn't—"

Amaterasu gave a little yip and, using her magic, caused her collar to disappear. The tracker and communicator vanished into the same pocket dimension she kept all her other items. Those Chitauri spears, extra food, money, and whatever else she found interesting. For all intents and purposes, it stopped existing at that moment.

"…Is it gone? Just to make sure it's not messing with the sensors," Maya explained for a second time.

Amaterasu nodded, giving the woman a lopsided grin, tongue and all. Maya furrowed her brow for a moment, and looked conflicted, before she stood up and made her way over toward the glass, metal, and plastic box. She opened the door and invited Amaterasu in, gesturing toward the two plants inside.

"Alright, so, this test is going to be pretty simple. Just pluck a frond stem off the plant on the left, and then use your abilities to heal it. We have multiple sensors in and around it to track all changes, and collect samples when you do," Maya explained. Ammy stepped into the box, and Maya sealed the door behind her with a click. "After that, pluck a frond off the right one and let it recover on its own. We'll compare those, then go again."

Ammy barked an affirmative and kept her gaze on Maya. The scientist made her way over to a series of computers, and glanced at the man in the lab coat beside her. She hit a button on the keyboard, and a low whirring and hum filled the box. Maya tapped away at the board for a moment, before looking at Ammy and giving her a thumbs up.

"Okay, you're good to start. Just give maybe fifteen seconds between each test, okay? Maybe repeat it three times over just to make sure we get all the information."

She gave another nod in response, then turned her attention forward. This was all so new and unconventional, and honestly, Ammy was extremely curious about how everything worked. She'd have to poke around with them later to see how it all came together.

Ignoring her rampant curiosity, Amaterasu leaned forward and gripped the stem in her jaws. A quick tug separated it from the plant. She waited the allotted time, and then froze reality, using her celestial brush to paint over the missing portion of the plant. Rejuvenation took over and almost instantly repaired the missing portion of the plant. She waited once more, and then turned to the other, plucking a frond off. She watched in fascination as the plant healed itself quickly, smoke and heat wafting from the plant, until it was healed.

She did this three times total, making sure to wait every time something was done. Then, when she was finished, she turned to face where Maya was standing, and gave her a little yip to let her know.

"Perfect, you did great. Now, I need you to do the same, but before the plant can heal itself, you need to use your abilities instead. Hopefully that'll start to give us an idea of what's going on," Maya instructed.

So, Ammy did as she was told. She repeated the timed trials, making sure to keep everything as similar as she could. It was interesting when she healed the plant with Extremis. The plant would start glowing briefly, before her magic took over, repairing the fern without a moment wasted. The orange glow would flicker and then vanish a moment later when there was nothing to fix.

Amaterasu did the same as last time, making sure to follow the delay properly, and allow Maya and the sensors to get all the information they needed. When she finished, she turned to face the scientist once more, only to catch a confused expression on the woman's face. She was muttering something to herself, but Ammy couldn't quite catch it.

"I'm not too sure what this is telling me. I don't suppose you could do it all again?" Maya asked, fixing the wolf with a furrowed brow.

Ammy was all too happy to comply. She wheeled back around, and plucked a frond off the normal plant. Instead of using Rejuvenation on it, she decided to change things up. With a flex of her will, and a stroke of her tail, she used her Bloom ability on the plant. Instead of repairing itself all at once, the plant steadily regrew itself, until the point it looked natural once more, a tad faster than Extremis did. Unfortunately the rest of the plant grew a little too.

"Wait! Wait, do that again!" Maya exclaimed, hitting something on her keyboard.

Amaterasu complied, plucking the frond off again, and using Bloom on the plant. This time she tried to focus, making sure the plant didn't grow, but instead focused the magic into just regrowing the small portion. Surprisingly, it worked.

Maya instructed Ammy to continue the normal testing, but with that other ability. So she did, making sure to wait, and then when the time was right, giving the Extremis laced plant a hit of her magic. The result was instantaneous, the whole thing glowing orange for a moment, before the frond rapidly healed itself, smoke and heat rolling off the plant and very quickly restoring itself to its proper state.

Ammy blinked in confusion and concern, tilting her head. The plant had gotten a little too hot to seem normal, and made the small space uncomfortably warm. Still, she continued, repeating the test with the two. A minor issue came up when she attempted to use Bloom on the Extremis plant again. It healed itself before she could. The heat and smoke rushed off the plant and it filled itself in quickly, not even giving the wolf time to properly focus on it and use her abilities.

It was just a little less heated than last time, without as much smoke as well. Just as quick, luckily. She performed the test once more, with the same results. She was a little confused, fixated on the fern that seemed to be rapidly healing itself beyond what it normally should.

A whoosh of cold air from behind her startled Ammy, and let her know Maya opened the door. The wolf turned, and came face-to-muzzle with a very giddy looking scientist. Suddenly, Amaterasu found herself wrapped in the woman's arms and being hugged tightly. A confused "aroo" slipped from Ammy, but she returned the hug with a head on Maya's shoulder and by curling her tail around her.

"I don't know what you just did, but I think you might have done it!" Maya seemed ecstatic, holding the wolf close. "I still need to run analysis on both of them and compare the DNA and check to see how Extremis is behaving under a microscope and see all the different environments and—"

She went on and on, babbling excitedly to the wolf even after she let Ammy go. The wolf sat there in confusion, watching Maya gather the two plants in her grasp and set them down in another chamber, this one with much thicker walls and solid metal construction. Amaterasu didn't understand half the words that were coming from Maya as she and the other scientist spoke quickly.

Still, she couldn't help but get caught up in the excitement, her tail wagging rapidly. She gave a little bark and sat at the entrance of the room, observing the commotion with a happy expression. It was so neat that she was able to help progress science!

Still, there was a little thought at the back of her mind, poking at her joy and excitement. That brief moment of pure heat and light rolling off the plant had been concerning. It was uncomfortably warm, more than likely burning to the touch. She really hoped that they'd be able to reduce that somehow. The last thing she wanted to do was make things worse.