Chapter Three

A gentle, insistent shaking roused Stephen. He moaned, opened a squinty eyed look at whomever was disturbing his slumber.

Cloak, its crimson touch soft and calming.

He grumbled some incomprehensible complaint, and then Wongs' flat voice said,

'You told Cloak to wake you, every hour.'

That brought his eyes more fully open, but he didn't dare move; the slightest shift of balance made the pounding in his head intensify.

Wong stood next to Cloak, who hovered immediately alongside his bed, swaying worriedly.

'It has done exactly as you requested,' Wong further informed.

'Sable escaped,' Stephen groaned, carefully tracing the bandages on his bashed head.

'Yes,' Wong verified, 'you told me.'

Stephen managed an odd, confused look, and Wong clarified,

'You called me.'

Stephen had no recollection of that, but gave a slight nod, wincing, decided to sit up.

The room spun, briefly, then leveled out.

Wong gave Stephen a rather stern version of Wong face, commented,

'I felt it unwise to leave you solely under the care of your Cloak, no matter how competent.'

Stephen tossed a glance toward Cloak, who didn't seem upset with Wongs' reasoning.

His next look was out the giant windows, which showed the light of late afternoon, and a sudden moment of panic hit him.

'Hank Pym. I was supposed to meet him, this afternoon… '

Wong shook his head, assured,

'I have informed him of your circumstances. He will be happy to reschedule as soon as you feel up to it.'

Stephen swung his legs over the edge of the bed, then decided that was far enough to move, for the moment.

'Did he manage to get a sling ring, do you know?' Wong asked, and Stephen shook his head, slightly.

'I don't believe so. That black cloak carried him away. I think that, if it had gotten hold of a sling ring, Sable would have used it, instead of risking his chance of escape on some shadows.'

A grimace twisted his face, and he added,

'Even in his condition.'

Wong scowled, fiercely, asked,

'What do you mean?'

'It was….well, it was horrifying. I mean, how he looked,' Stephen replied, with a slight shiver.

'Like some ancient, fairy tale monster. White hair, grey skin, emaciated…'

'That is what the Gyve does,' Wong broke in, 'it is a cruel device.'

Stephen stared at Wong, a few moments, then decided,

'It should be destroyed.'

Wong just looked at him, changed the subject,

'We have set up security for any and all known sling rings, just in case Sable would attempt to obtain one to use in an effort to escape this dimension.'

'If we can trap him, here, maybe we can recapture him, find out who sent him,' Stephen nodded, agreement, happy that his head wasn't pounding quite as much.

'You should sleep with the lights on, just to be safe,' Wong suggested, and Stephen made a face. He hated light while he slept.

Back to the mirror dimension for that, he decided.

Using his Teacher to Student tone to underscore the seriousness of his expression, Wong lectured,

'We know very little about Sable. How fast he might heal, where he might go, if he has any allies here. We must be on high alert, until he is recaptured, or killed. Protocols are in place, in both the London and the Hong Kong sanctum, as a well as Kamar-Taj.'

'Good,' Stephen agreed.

With a thoughtful twist of his brows, Wong suggested,

'Perhaps, in view of his failures, he will choose to permanently abandon this dimension, if he can.'

Stephen shook his head, expression grave, as he said, quietly,

'Oh, I don't think that will happen.'

Wong gave Stephen a sharp stare, but Stephen just shrugged, didn't elaborate any further.

Sables' reiteration of his intent to fulfill his vow was something Stephen decided to keep to himself, for the time being.

In an attempt to avoid further questions, Stephen managed to stand, even tho the vertigo was less than pleasant.

Cloak cautiously settled onto his shoulders, giving a contented little ruffle, adding a tiny hug, and, as always, pulling a smile to Stephen's face.

'Doctor Palmer brought over some excellent lasagne. Perhaps we could discuss the events leading to Sables' escape over that,' Wong informed Stephen, as he spun, headed out toward the study, en route to the kitchen, 'If you're hungry, that is?'

'Wait…what…you called her?' Stephen insisted, following as fast as he could, relying on Cloak to keep him upright whenever the dizziness hit him.

'Of course,' Wong huffed, 'When I got here, you were unconscious on the floor. Plus, I'm not very good with stitches.'

'Fabulous,' Stephen groused, unhappily, 'I'm spending more time as her patient than as a possible Significant Other.'

'She did mention something about having you list her as your primary care physician,' Wong shot back, causing Stephen to quicken his pace in an effort to determine if Wong was kidding.

As if Wong would ever allow his face to reveal that.