Prison vans surrounds us, preventing us from finding any form of escape. The doors fly open, soldiers filing out as quickly as they can, and pointing their guns in our direction. My eyes scan the area, hoping to get out of here because if I don't, back to Alexander Pierce I go and forever say goodbye to Avalon Jane Rawlins as we know it. My focus goes back to the sight in front of me. Steve is on his knees, a gun pointed to his head as he stares off into the distance where Winter had just been.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here! We've been looking for you everywhere, Sweetheart," the very muscular man who looked in his thirties, snarls at me and my entire body flinches.

He walks over to me, pushing me to the ground, and if my body wasn't as numb as it is right now, it would've hurt more. My eyes are trained on the landscape in front of me, my mind clear, and I push off my emotion like a flip of a slip. My body knows what's going to happen, and I dread the moment where I'm forced to forget everything I began to remember. I've barely begun to scratch the surface of who I am, only to have it ripped away once again. The man grips up my arm, forcing me into the van, and the door shuts, leaving me with the three heroes and the guards. I'm always going to be the villain. These huge metal handcuffs are places around our wrists, and it's when reality set in. We sit in silence, not knowing what to say about the events that only happened minutes ago.

"It was him. He looked right at me and he didn't even know me," Steve says, breaking the silence.

The conversation sparks my attention as I look up at him.

"How's that even possible? It was like seventy years ago," Sam replies.

If only Sam knew Hydra, he'd understand what they're actually capable of. Take me for example: I was taken by Hydra, they erased the identity of Dr. Avalon Jane Rawlins and changed it to the Red Ghost. Why? I knew too much.

Steve sighs, "Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '42, Zola experimented on 'em. Whatever he did, it helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him."

"None of that's your fault, Steve," Natasha's voice sounds slow and tired. Her eyes keep closing and my eyes travel to the wound on her shoulder, knowing that she has lost a lot of blood.

Looking down, I take a deep breath before deciding to speak.

"I always knew there was a person hiding behind the monster. I wasn't supposed to know, but I could feel it," as I speak, the words feel more like a dream than a reality.

Steve's attention turns to me. His eyes seem to hold the hope that you don't see much of anymore. While I feel defeated and at peace with what is to come, Steve is doing everything he possibly can to bring back his best friend -- our friend -- and the thought of having him back terrifies me. He's worse than you. His mission is to kill you and he won't stop until he finishes.

"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky," Steve's voice is quiet. "But he had you. I'm glad he met you."

His words sink deep into my mind, repeating themselves over and over again. Without noticing, I put my guard down with the mentioning of Winter or should I say 'Bucky', and my eyes being to burn. Tears swell in my eyes, threatening to spill over like a waterfall, but slowly, I blink them away, trying not to let the thought of him distract me.

"We need to get a doctor here. If we don't put pressure on that wound, she's gonna bleed out here in the truck!" Sam yells at the two guards that sit in silence, seizing the moment between Steve and I.

Suddenly, one of the guards pulls out an electric rod and proceeds to neutralize the guard next to them, knocking him unconscious. By instinct, I struggle against the metal cuffs, wanting to take on the danger head on rather than to run away from it, but the guard takes off their helmet, revealing a woman that Steve seems to recognize.

She exhales deeply while looking between Sam and I, with confusion written across her face. "That thing was squeezing my brain. Who are they?" She asks Steve.

***

Luck is on our side today. We escaped the van and somehow ended up outside some sort of secret facility. The woman behind the guard's mask is named Maria Hill, and to be completely honest, the moment she pulled out the device that cut a hole through the floor, I felt relieved that I wouldn't have to be in Hydra's possession once again. The doors to the vehicle we are in slide open, revealing a tall stone building ahead. Steve and Sam help Nat out first, helping her stay upright, then Maria goes, and slowly but sure, I make my way out. My leg is stiff and my head feels funny, but I'm incapable of feeling the pain. Pain is nonexistent to Red.

Opening the gate, we enter a large hallway and a man can be seen running towards us. I exhale, relieved that someone can finally help Nat out.

"GWS. She's lost at least a pint," Maria says to the man stopping in front of us.

"Let me take her!" the doctor says.

I press my hand against the wound on my leg, only to feel an excessive amount of blood pouring out of it. Turning my hand over, a layer of blood coats my entire hand, and when I look up, my eyes meet Nat's, her eyes filled with pain. She goes to say something, but I vigorously shake my head at her, not wanting her to say anything about it because I can fix the wound on my own. I don't need the help from the doctors. I guess it because I'm undeniably frightened of what they'll do.

"She'll want to see him first," Maria speaks, leading us down the hallway and into a room where a man with an eye patch lies.

As a precaution, I stay standing in the doorway, not knowing how I could possibly trust the new faces I've encountered. The trio looks shocked to see the man, like they're seeing him for the first time in forever. I feel out of place here. No one can trust me and my impulsive decisions as they result in catastrophe. My hand makes it way back to my thigh, applying pressure to it to try and stop the bleeding. Though where I am standing is in the shadows, the man lying in the bed sees me standing behind everyone else.

"I'd bet my good eye you're the Red Ghost," the man speaks up and the attention in the room is on me.

I move into the light, allowing myself to acknowledge the dried blood on my arms that might not be mine.

A dangerous laugh escapes my lips. "Say the words and you'll have her," my voice slacks of emotion.

My focus becomes blurry. My legs attempt to give out from under me, but I stumble to my left, grabbing ahold of a table to keep my balance. Breathe, you're fine. Just walk it off. Regaining my composure, I stand upright, acting as if nothing happened.The weakness of my body annoys me more than it should.

"Avalon, you need a doctor," Steve states, rushing over towards me to help me stand, but my stubbornness and will to do things myself kicks in, and I move away from Steve, not letting him touch me.

"No, Nat needs the doctor more than I do. I'm fine!" my voice becomes loud and aggressive, and I pull myself up onto the table. Steve tries to help me, but I swat his arm away, not wanting anyone to help me. "It doesn't hurt. I can't ever feel pain when she takes over. Just give me some kind of disinfectant, towels, scissors, a needle, and something to stitch this up."

For the second time in the past few days, Steve looks at me, skeptically, like he's conflicted by my actions. As I would question him, there's no point to do so because he wouldn't be honest and out front with me because he doesn't know me. A slight frown forms on Steve's face as I refused his help. I took the bullet for him and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Maria walks over to me, handing me all of the supplies, and I faintly smile at her, mentally thanking her for her generosity.

It's the little things that I want to do on my own because I want to gain that sense of humanity back. I'm tired of people taking care of me when I'm wounded. One day, I'll eventually be alone in the world, still running from Hydra, and at some point, I'm going to need to be capable of tending to my wounds. Without a second thought, I cut an even bigger hole where the bullet pierced through my pants and examine how badly the untreated injury. Like I thought, it's worse than I thought it would be. As I manage to gently remove the bullet from my leg, a conversation happens around me, but my attention is focused on closing the bullet wound instead of listening.

"Avalon?" I hear Nat say from the other side of the room. My eyes avert from my leg to her green eyes, questionly.

I place the needle down on my leg. "Yes, Nat?"

"Aren't you afraid of him?" She asks, and undoubtedly, it's about Winter.

Picking up the needle, I begin to stitch the bullet wound back together, and I collect my thoughts to answer her question. Every thought in my mind tells me I should be afraid, but I can't believe I actually am afraid.

"How could I be afraid of someone that's exactly like me? Yes, he's hurt me as many times as he's protected my life while he stood by my side. Every bone in my body is shaking in fear, but I'm stronger than that," my voice laced with determination, "If I can work my mind passed all the programming Hydra placed within me, so can Bucky."

The room falls silent. I'm headstrong; I've always been that way. Allowing myself to admit how much I don't fear the man I should, only wants me to save him more. He deserves it. He's been through hell. We both have.

"Though he seems like a threat to all of you, I sure as hell won't let you hurt him," I say as my eyes scan each individual in the room. "I might not be Hydra's puppet, but I will always protect him," and I sigh, placing the needle down after finishing stitching the wound.

A/N - hey! sorry i've been slacking on updating both my stories, but i've been struggling with my anxiety recently and i'm stressed out beyond compare. ill try to write soon. if you want the playlist for this story, follow my spotify playlist called "desolation". my user is mackenzeryann. i hope you enjoy this chapter! feedback is always appreciated (: - kenzie