When the clock struck 11 pm, Steve, Bucky, and Alex were several beers in. Every story told between the three of them got a little more exaggerated, a little more ridiculous, and their laughter got a little bit louder. Even in the back of the bar, their laughter lifted over the music as Steve told Alexis another animated story from his and Bucky's teenage years. This time, Bucky was the highlight of the story, and Bucky gave him shit every chance he could throughout the tale. Alex simply sat there between the two of them, enjoying every minute of it.

The three of them probably looked a sight to anyone who was paying attention: two bulky, strong men flanking a smaller woman who was wearing gloves inside. Much to her pleasant surprise, Bucky left his metal hand uncovered. Alex knew this was a big move for him, even though most of the time he kept that hand under the table. Throughout the night, she made sure to sneak her hand beneath the table and take the metal in her own, if only to let him know he shouldn't be ashamed. Each time she wove her fingers between his, his eyes would meet hers and a tiny smile would appear.

As Steve's latest story came to an end, Alex drained the last of her beer and set the glass down with a heavy clunk. "Next round's on me, boys."

"Nahhhh, c'mon Markos - you don't have to," Steve argued as she rose from the table.

Alex waved a hand. "Shut it, Rogers. You guys have bought everything so far." She walked past Bucky's side of the table and squeezed his shoulder. "Same kind of beer for you, babe?"

"Same will do. Thanks, doll."

"Same for you, Cap?"

Steve acquiesced with a nod.

"Alright, I'll be right back." She leaned down and kissed Bucky briefly before heading for the bar.

Once she was gone, Bucky was all smiles when he met Steve's gaze. "What?!"

Steve saw the pride in his best friend's eyes. "Nothing! You two are just..."

"...Made for each other?"

"Yes, actually."

Bucky laughed. "If the PDA bothers you-"

"No such thing, Buck." Steve spun the base of his pint glass slowly between his fingers. "It's actually been really nice hanging with the both of you like this."

Bucky was surprised, in a good way, to hear Steve say so. Several times over the past couple of hours, Bucky actually felt like he was among family. He'd forgotten how nice it was to relax with people he really enjoyed being around. His memory was still shittier than he would like, but he honestly wasn't sure there were even moments in his recent past where he got to do what he was doing now with Steve and Alex. Maybe it was another moment of progress for him; something to jot down in his notebook when he got back to New York. Or maybe it was just because he was with people he loved. People who, thankfully, loved him in return.

Feeling the emotions of the moment, Bucky raised his glass. "Here's to time spent with good friends who feel like family."

Steve's smile widened. "I'll drink to that any day."

The pair downed what remained of their beer, which left Bucky scanning the floor for Alex. His eyes wandered over the crowd and the band before settling on the mass of people clamoring for drinks at the bar. He spotted Alex as she waited, her smaller frame pressed up against the wooden rail and waiting patiently for the bartender to make his way down to her.

And then he saw a tall man in business attire sidle up next to her. He looked far too young for how expensive his clothes appeared. Bucky guessed he was another of DC's uber important, uber rich businessmen; too young for his own good and his own power. It didn't help that his short dirty-blonde hair framed a face that was easily punchable for how arrogant it looked. As he approached the bar and stood next to Alexis, his eyes roamed her body; pausing a little too long around her backside before his face broke into a smile.

Bucky's fingers tightened around the glass in his hand.

His eyes stayed locked on the man, watching as he said something to Alex. She said something in return, but it was curt. Her attention went back to the bartender, but the man slid in closer. When Bucky saw his hand brush against Alex's arm, he pushed back from the table.

Steve's eyes followed him. "Where ya going?"

Bucky left without answering. He wove through those separating him from the bar, his gazed fixed on Alex the entire time. Heat rose into his face as something possessive awoke inside him. He watched the man lean in closer to Alexis, his amused smile growing. Alex backed away from him, her discomfort evident on her face. When the man didn't listen, Bucky nearly lost it.

He reached the bar and pushed up behind Alex until his body was flush against hers. Towering over her from behind, he slid one hand around her waist protectively as his eyes locked on to the man in front of them. "Is there a problem here?"

The man looked between Bucky and the hand now secure around the woman's waist. His eyes shifted to the woman, whose smile was now proudly on display. "I don't see a wedding band" he told her, leaning against the bar. "So as far as I can tell, he doesn't own you."

Alex felt the growl Bucky uttered as it vibrated against her back. She glanced back to see his eyes had turned wild; their beautiful shade now dark and threatening. "Don't listen to him, James."

"James, huh?" The man fussed with the cuff links on the wrists of his button down. "Let me ask you a question: what do you do for a living, James? You don't look like you're much of a...how do I phrase this...much of a businessman." His eyes took in Bucky's entire image with a look of disgust.

Alex turned towards Bucky and pressed a hand against his chest. His heart was like a hammering drum beneath her palm. "Come on, let's go back to our table."

Every instinct inside Bucky told him to fight the man. He deserved a metal fist in the face to rearrange his perfect teeth for disrespecting Alexis, but he tried his best to let it go. When Alex placed her hand near his heart, it was the best thing that could have happened. Her touch alone calmed his boiling blood enough to turn away from the arrogant asshole.

"You just gonna let her lead you away like that?" the man called after them. "Too pussy whipped to even say anything, aren't you?" He began laughing loud enough to pull the attention of a few others around the bar. "You know what? Give me one good reason why your bitch shouldn't leave with me tonight instead of your weak ass-"

Bucky wheeled around so fast, Alex never stood a chance at stopping him. She heard the crack of metal colliding with bone and watched as the man was sent flying back into a table. His body tumbled against the wood, knocking over glasses and bottles in the process.

Everything from that moment forward was chaos. A clamor arose from nearby patrons as they jumped back from the fallen man and the table. Voices grew louder around the bar as others laughed and applauded the sight. The music began to fade as the band noticed what was happening.

Beyond the darkened room, Alex sensed the bouncer heading their direction as the man Bucky knocked into the tables began to bleed from his nose.

"YOU'RE OUTTA HERE" the bouncer yelled to Bucky. He reached down and grabbed the back of the fallen man's collar, helping him upright from the table. "You too! You're out! Both of you get the hell out of here!"

Bucky turned to Alex, eyes burning with suppressed rage. "Meet me outside."

Alex reached for his hand but he'd already begun to walk away. She watched as the bouncer walked the other man to the door, shoving him forcefully up the stairs and out into the street. With a growing sense of confusion and helplessness, Alex went back to the table. Steve was standing there, watching as the chaos inside the bar began to dwindle. His troubled gaze met hers as she neared.

"Is he alright?"

"Which one?!" Alex asked.

"Bucky."

She grabbed her purse. "He's fine. Not sure about the other guy. Not sure I care, either." She turned to leave but Steve grabbed her arm, halting her gently. She turned to find his expression drawn with concern.

"Hey - are you alright?"

She offered a tight smile. "Yeah." With her chin, she motioned towards the exit. "C'mon. He said he'd meet us outside." She slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and felt a heaviness like lead drop further down into her stomach. So much for a nice night out.

She passed by the bouncer without a word, but heard Steve apologize to him for the commotion. Steve was a better person than she was, that was for sure. Her emotions were a mix of disappointment and anger, though she really didn't know who it was directed at. Maybe the bouncer, maybe the asshole who started all of this, or maybe no one at all. All she felt was anger that their night had been cut short, and particularly for the reason why it had been cut short.

Climbing the stairs up to street level, Alex inhaled the cold air that hit her face the second she stepped outside. She scanned her surroundings for Bucky, expecting to find his large form standing there waiting. Instead, the sidewalks were bare. She saw plenty of other pedestrians, but didn't see him.

Steve came up and stood beside her, looking up and down the length of the street. "Did he say where we should meet?"

Alex barely heard his question from the fear welling inside her. She felt her powers coming to life with a thundering in her ears and the sensation of a thousand sparks igniting through her body. Her powers were trying to warn her; in that weird way they always had her entire life. She began walking down the street, looking for Bucky. "Where is he, Steve?" She heard his footsteps quickening behind her.

"Whenever he's pissed, he tends to go for walks..."

Alex shook her head. Not that she didn't believe Steve, but her body was telling her otherwise. "Something doesn't feel right." She scanned above her to the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, feeling more and more like the guy in the bar wasn't just any ordinary patrons all. "Something's wrong. He said he'd meet us and he's not here. He never breaks his word to me, not even on stuff like this."

Steve started to feel it too. "Why don't we split up - you take one side of the street, I'll take the other?"

"First thing's first." She slipped off her gloves and held up her hands, palms facing out. "May I? Just in case this turns ugly?"

He grinned. "Sure."

"I'll make it quick." She locked her hands onto his chest and blocked out the sounds of the street. White light flickered between them, connecting her hands to Steve's chest where she drew from his powers. She felt her body composition transition from the inside-out, and it took less than 10 seconds to complete a full transfer. When she opened her eyes, she felt invincible. "Done."

Steve shook his head, still amazed by what she could do. "You good to go?"

"Never been better" she said with a nod. "Let's go."

They took off at a jog; Steve heading across the street to check the other side while Alex checked hers. She could feel similarities between Steve's characteristics inside her body, just as Bucky's had back on the island. All the same features were at her disposal: super human strength and agility, enhanced reflexes, a seemingly bottomless pit of energy, and crystal clear eyesight. Now, whenever she gazed up into the shadows on top of the surrounding buildings, it was like night and day. She was able to easily spot details her regular eyes couldn't and see through the shadows that had been so murky to her just minutes ago.

And that's when she saw them: three figures hidden above, running along the rooftops and following Steve from above. Alex was about to yell across the street, but Steve beat her to it. He was waving at her and shouting from near an alleyway before disappearing down into its darkness.

Glancing back up at the rooftop, two of the three figures - dressed in all black with rifles in hand - jumped from the building down into the alley where Steve vanished.

Alex uttered a curse and sprinted across the street, blowing past three cars in a flash of white light. She bounded down the alley in time to see the familiar glint of metal from Bucky's arm, the whine of its mechanical movement whistling between punches marked by heavy grunts. Steve had joined him, and both of the men moved as one solid unit. Their backs to one another, they threw matched punches, parried, and kicked in unified motion; two soldiers who'd done this a thousand times together and could mirror the other as if they were of the same body.

Above the alley, shouting could be heard. Alex turned her attention upward, trying to figure out a way to get up there to take those other men out. She spotted a dumpster and a fire escape that wound ever upward behind it. She was about to make a run for it, but the sound of bullets ricocheting off stone and brick near her head caused her to scream and duck.

Bucky spun around at the sound of her scream. "Alex!?"

"ABOVE!" she shouted, trying to run towards the dumpster as shots rained down from the roof.

Bucky never hesitated. He ran out into the middle of the alley, putting himself between the enemy and Alex so she could move to safety. With his metal palm outstretched, he blocked each of the bullets that they tried to aim at her. One by one the bullets hit his hand, falling onto the street in a spray of sparks. He moved along with Alex, always in front of her, using either the meat of his arm or his palm to block the shots. It was enough to buy her the distance to get to the foot of the fire escape, and then Bucky filed in behind her.

Crouching in the shadows behind the dumpster, Bucky placed his hands on either side of Alex's face. "Are you okay?"

She loved him for asking. "Yes."

His eyes lifted to the rooftop. "You got those two up there?"

Alex nodded and stood. "Can I get a lift!?"

Bucky's intense expression broke into a smirk for just a second. He stood and cupped his hands near his knees. "Be careful."

Alex stepped into his hands and sprung upward at the same time Bucky threw his entire strength into tossing her. With their combined strength and the power behind Bucky's arm, Alex was able to leap almost the entire distance to the rooftop. She swung off one of the iron railings of the fire escape, using that last push of momentum to fling her the rest of the way onto the roof. She landed on her feet, hands braced in front of her. When she stood to her full height, the two men holding the rifles stared at her in surprise.

"Hello, fellas" she said with a grin. She held up her hands, showing them the glow of her white light that flickered around her. "I have a few questions I'm gonna need answering."

One of the two men lifted his rifle. "That's her! That's the one!"

Alex had only a second to react before they began firing.

That's her. That's the one.

So they knew who she was. Which meant someone had sent them.

The ping ping ping of bullets showered the HVAC system Alex ducked behind, running in a squatting position in order to draw them away from the scene down in the alley. She rolled behind a exhaust vent and waited, listening with her enhanced sense of hearing. The bullets stopped, but steady, calm footsteps vibrated off the metal roof. With Steve's borrowed skills, Alex could feel them as if they were right behind her.

She ducked quietly behind another HVAC vent and peered above the ledge. The men were following her, but she had enough distance on them to try and get herself some kind of defense system.

Looking around for anything she could turn into a weapon, Alex tried to think like Steve.

I need a shield.

Remaining crouched, she kept close to the air-handling unit and wound her way towards the end. Its lengthy rectangular shape allowed her to get a little more distance between her and the two men following while also remaining concealed. When she reached the venting unit at the end, she quickly assessed which piece she could use to her advantage, deciding on the the large overhanging metal air hood. She placed both hands on the air hood and yanked. The overhanging metal edge buckled at the edges, the screws popping free like loose buttons. With one final pull, she yanked the panel completely off. Steve's strength made tearing off a metal panel like tearing off a piece of paper from a tablet.

Thank you, Rogers, Alex thought. I owe you another beer.

She took off at a sprint and headed directly for the two men. They raised their rifles, and Alex raised her makeshift shield. She absorbed three bullets before she wound the panel back and flung it as hard as she could straight at them. One dodged out of the way, but the other wasn't so lucky. He felt backwards at the force of the panel, the sharp edge cutting a deep gash through his bulletproof vest.

Alex leapt over the fallen man and grabbed the panel and spun, flinging it at the remaining opponent. By the time her boots even hit the roof, the panel had knocked him backward. She turned and sprinted back to where the panel had landed. She lifted the metal once more and spun in the air, flinging it with precision one more time as the first man tried to regain his stance. The panel collided with the man's neck in a spray of blood.

Now that she only had one opponent to deal with, Alex walked calmly over to him. With his rifle knocked far enough out of reach, she felt safe to approach as watched as he struggled to sit up. He'd gotten the wind knocked out of him from the collision with the metal, and it must have hit in just the right spot because he was clutching at his chest as he attempted to lift himself up.

"It'd be best if you just lay there and remain still" Alex told him as she came forward. "You're still useful to me alive, for the time being."

Most of the man's features were hidden beneath the protection of his face mask, but Alex could still see his dark eyes as they lowered from her face to her hands.

"Who sent you?" Alex demanded.

"Fuck you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that any way to speak to a lady?"

The man snarled. "FUCK. YOU."

"What do you want with us?" she continued. "Answer me, so I don't have to use these." She held up her hands and saw his eyes grow larger.

He shrunk away from her, pushing himself backward with limp legs. One of his hands still clutched at his chest, his breathing labored by some internal injury she didn't care about.

"Who was the guy in the bar?" She took a step towards him. "Was he sent to antagonize Barnes?"

He still wouldn't answer. He continued pushing with one leg, sliding backward along the roof and away from Alex. She followed calmly, waiting until he backed himself into the rectangular air-handling unit. When he came to a stop and could go no further, she crouched down until they were eye level.

"Obviously this was a set-up." Her voice was calmer now; controlled. She needed to keep control. It didn't matter how angry or afraid or vengeful she felt at what was happening...she had to maintain control.

Still, he remained defiant. He said nothing, just stared at her hands as her white light swirled around them.

Alex sighed. "Have it your way, then." She locked her hand onto the man's face as his scream reverberated off her palm, and then she closed her eyes.


Bucky and Steve finished off the men in the alley not long after Alex landed on the roof, and it took every once of control for Bucky not to focus on the sound of bullets being fired from above. He and Steve had their hands full as it was and Alex could hold her own, but a seed of worry lay heavy in the back of his mind as long as he was separated from her.

When they defeated the last of their attackers, Bucky stood a moment and caught his breath. He wiped his hair back from his face, feeling the chill in the air finally hit him thanks to how sweaty he was. He cast a glance upward at the rooftop for any sign of Alex, but he saw nothing but darkness. Turning back to Steve, he watched him search the pockets of the men they'd laid out on the pavement. "Anything?" he asked through labored breaths.

Steve shook his head, digging in another of the opponent's pockets. "Nothing."

Bucky walked over to one of the figures he'd knocked unconscious and nudged his limp body over with his boot. He crouched down and lifted one of the handguns that remained holstered to his waist and inspected it closely. With dismay, he recognized the make and model of the pistol and his heart sank. "Steve, come look at this."

Steve noticed the frown that was on Bucky's face and hurried over. "What is it?"

"Recognize this?" He handed him the gun and stood.

Steve turned the pistol over in his hands, scanning for something he couldn't see. "No. Should I?"

"It's a VIS Pistol." His hands went to his hips as he stared at the barrel with disgust. "Members of the Polish Underground use them heavily. Not something you see here in the States very often, if ever."

"Polish Underground?"

Bucky nodded. "Emphasis on Polish." He watched as Steve's eyes opened wide with surprise and recognition.

"So you think the Polish Branch has something to do—"

A shrill scream tore through the night. It was the sound of a woman's voice in pain, echoing off the buildings around them and coming from somewhere up above.

Bucky and Steve spun, eyes pointed at the rooftops. Fear made every muscle in Bucky's body halt. Time froze, and so did the air in his lungs.

No. Not her.
Please don't let it be her.

There was another scream, and when Bucky heard the pain behind it he almost collapsed. He shot towards the fire escape, legs burning from adrenaline and dread flooding his system. Horrible thoughts filled his mind as the first finger of doubt tried to inch its way inside his heart.

With a jump, he locked his metal arm onto the first rung of the fire escape stairs and began to climb. Somewhere behind, Steve was calling for him, but he didn't listen. He couldn't listen. Fear blocked out every other sound except the one coming from the roof. He had to get to Alexis. Nothing else mattered.

When he reached the final railing, Bucky flung himself up and over and landed on the roof. He spotted Alexis right away, but could see now what his fear had already told him. She was hurt, and hurt badly. She held one of her hands at the wrist as blood gushed from a deep wound in her palm. Her braid was ragged; her hair loose all about her beautiful face that was now contorted by pain. Her eyes met his from across the roof and there was a blankness there that scared Bucky more than the blood.

She moved her mouth as if to say something, but then collapsed.

Fear clamped about Bucky's throat like a vice as he yelled her name. He ran to her, kneeling next to her limp body as he carefully gathered her into his arms. "Alexis!? Can you hear me?" He cradled her against his chest, searching her body for more wounds. There was only one, and it was the gash that had sliced her palm. It was deep; easily down to the bone and outlined by an angry, jagged edge. The sight of it turned his stomach. Never before had the sight of a wound made him sick until that moment.

He pushed back some of Alex's hair and cupped her cheek. "Hang on, darling," he pleaded. "Just hang on for me, alright? I've got you."

Some distance away from where Alex had fallen, a man cloaked in dark attire began to limply crawl to safety. Bucky heard the rustle of his movement and spotted him pushing slowly towards the edge of the roof. In one of his hands was a serrated switchblade knife stained with blood. A whole new level of rage erupted within Bucky's chest at the sight of it, and a need for vengeance began to replace the fear that had taken control of him.

Steve finally arrived on the roof and was running towards them, his quick footfalls drawing Bucky's attention back to the present. When he saw the wound on Alex's hand, all the color drained from his face. "What happened?"

"Help me." Bucky carefully lowered Alex onto her back. "We have to stop the bleeding." He lifted his henley up over his head, revealing a white undershirt beneath. He tore the henley in half, then tore one of those pieces in half. He took one of the strips of cloth and began to twist it into a tourniquet. "Your belt - I need it."

Steve removed it without hesitation. He watched as Bucky wrapped the piece of torn shirt around Alex's upper arm, twisting it and fastening it with skill. He tied the ends of the tourniquet around Steve's belt and used the rigid leather to help twist the fabric around Alex's arm even tighter. Looping the rest of the leather into a tightened band, he effectively ensured the tourniquet would remain in place until they got her to safety. He used another strip of his shirt to wrap around the wound itself, tying it securely.

"Take her" Bucky told him, his voice uncommonly low. "And call Fury."

Steve lifted Alex carefully into his arms, but his eyes stayed locked on Bucky. "What are you doing?"

Bucky scanned the roof until he spotted the man still crawling weakly away. "I have to take care of something." With the calm expression of a killer, he walked away from Steve and went over to the man's discarded rifle. He lifted it, loaded the barrel, and sighted the nose. Fear no longer gripped at his chest and his heart slowed to an even beat, finding new strength in his need to avenge Alexis. He closed the distance between him and the man until he was standing over him.

With frightened eyes, the man looked up at Bucky and raised the hand holding the knife as if to block the inevitable. When Bucky saw a flash of bright red along the edge of the blade, he knew it had been him who hurt Alexis.

The man began to tremble. "Hail Hyd—"

Bucky raised the rifle and pulled the trigger, putting a bullet square between the man's eyes. The body jumped at the force, pieces of skull and brain spraying back against the edge of the roof, and then fell lifeless.

Bucky tossed the rifle at the body and walked away.


It was past midnight when Fury got the call from Steve. He was in bed but hadn't been able to sleep, staring at the lights beyond his bedroom window as he watched the minutes and hours tick by. Maybe it was meant to be that he couldn't sleep, because the urgency in Rogers' voice had been alarming. The call was short, but he gathered all he needed to from Rogers in just a few sentences. There'd been an alleged set-up. Barnes had been the target, but Markos had sustained the damage. And, from what it sounded like, needed medical attention fast.

As Fury rushed to get himself ready and got into his SUV, he began to feel guilt for what had happened. He wished he hadn't told Hill to leave it up to Markos to reveal whether or not Kovalenko was trying to extract Barnes. He wished he hadn't been right to assume she would. He didn't know exactly what happened or what injuries she sustained, but Markos usually wasn't the one taking the brunt of misfortune on missions. Then again, this hadn't been a mission.

He blocked out any misgivings about what happened and drove to the meeting spot where Rogers told him they'd be waiting. One he picked the three of them up, he'd bring them back to his place. He'd been in this position enough times over the years to know he needed a healthy stock of medical supplies in his own home because of his position. Seems he was right again, and again he wished he wasn't.

When Fury pulled up to the location Rogers had told him, he initially didn't see anyone. It was a darkened alley near a small city park. No lights. No people. A good place to hide, but not if even he couldn't find them. He circled the block and came back around to find Rogers and Barnes standing near the curb with Markos in his arms. Her head lolled scarily as Barnes brought her towards the SUV; Steve helping to lift her gently into the back an onto the leather seats.

Steve climbed into the passenger seat. "We need somewhere with supplies that no one knows about."

Fury pulled the SUV away from the curb and headed north to where he'd just came. "My place ought to work for now." He glanced in the rear view mirror. "How bad is she, Barnes?"

"Bad enough."

Fury could see the worry in Barnes' expression and could hear it in his voice. Lines had formed around his eyes where none had been before. It made the quiet soldier appear more vulnerable; something Fury wasn't used to seeing in Barnes.

"We'll take care of her" he said, eyes still focused on Barnes in the mirror. "She'll be alright."

Barnes appeared to acknowledge him, but his attention remained on Markos.

"What do you know about what happened?" Steve questioned.

Fury didn't want to have this discussion. Not here, not yet. "How am I supposed to know when you've only given me a sentence worth of description?"

"The men we fought were using Polish-made weapons."

Barnes looked up, his blue eyes flashing in the rear view mirror. "Not just any Polish weapons. Polish Underground weapons."

Fury could see Barnes' strong jaw stiffen. This was the kind of news he'd been hoping for, though he hadn't expected to get it from the two soldiers. He pulled the SUV onto the highway and hit the gas. "I see."

"Do you?" Rogers countered. "Was it those men you showed us at our meeting?"

"Not the men. No."

Steve stared at him. "Then who?"

"Their ringleader." Fury's expression remained unmoving. "Claudia Burke. Polish S.H.I.E.L.D. branch division officer."

"What!?" Barnes' face twisted with anger. "What the actual fuck, Fury?"

"So you knew?" Steve stared at him. "You knew there was a risk here and you didn't tell us?"

Fury took in a deep, controlled breath before answering. "I didn't know. I still don't know. I can only guess based on what you just told me. That being said, the Polish weapons point to what Agent Hill and I have been working on. But without Markos awake and able to tell us if she found anything out before her injury, then I can't say for sure."

Steve turned his gaze out the window and uttered a frustrated grunt. Barnes said nothing, but his expression said everything. The heavily injured Avenger sitting in the back of his SUV wasn't just Barnes' concern; it was Fury's as well. He needed Alexis awake because he needed to ask her what she knew. If she had the chance to get answers before whatever happened to her, then that would be all he needed to move this thing forward. Plus, he cared for her. Yes, he knew attachment only led to trouble in this field, but he cared about all his Avengers in some way. Markos was no exception.

"Is that what the stay vigilant warning was about?" Barnes demanded. His eyes found Steve's in the rear view mirror. "Alexis knew. She had to have. She questioned it from the beginning."

This made Fury curious. "What did she question?"

"Everything. She always has."

Fury turned the wheel and pulled off the highway, keeping an eye not just on Barnes in the mirror, but for any additional tails that might be following them. All he saw, however, was anger simmering beneath the surface of Barnes' stern gaze. "I know she has. She confided that much in me."

Silence settled heavy inside the SUV. Everyone's minds remained on something different, and nothing further was spoken the rest of the drive. Fury pulled up to his gated residence and passed his credentials to the automated security system. He pulled the SUV to the front of his home and told Rogers and Barnes to take Alexis to the upstairs spare room. From here, he parked the vehicle in his garage, but not without making a call to Agent Hill first. He hated to wake her, but she needed informed of what happened. He briefed her quickly and told her he'd meet her in the morning.

The next call he made was to Tony Stark.

"Nicholas J. Fury" came the billionaire's voice. Even for the late hour, Stark seemed as alert and feisty as ever.

"I don't have a lot of time here, Stark, so I'll cut to the chase. Rogers, Barnes, and Markos were ambushed by a team of assassins that we believe are linked to the man Barnes killed on your island. Markos has been severely injured and will need Banner's technology to heal what's left of her hand."

There was a moment's pause before Tony spoke. "How bad?"

"Bad enough" Fury said, repeating Barnes' words. "Lost a lot of blood, but that part we can help stabilize here. It's her, uh...her powers...that I'm worried about."

"Understood. I'll notify Banner. You think she'll need the Cradle?"

"More than likely, yes."

"We're on it."

"Thanks, Stark."

"Hey, how's Barnes holding up?"

Fury lowered his eyes. "It's been touch and go. That's why I want you to ready the Cradle, just in case."

"I'll make sure everything's ready to go then. Good luck down there."

The call ended and Fury stared at his phone. He was positive Markos would come out of this fine, but the damage might be more extensive than any of them were prepared for. With the Regeneration Cradle back at the Avengers compound, her chances of re-grafting skin tissue would enhance her chances of success...but it was the nerve damage that worried him. No one really knew how Markos' powers worked or where they came from. She'd told Fury months ago, long before he recruited her, that it had always been inside her. Somewhere deep, always lying in waiting, and something she could access whenever she needed. But she never explained any more than that. Hell, maybe she didn't even know.

But her hands were her tools. Steve had his shield. Barnes had his arm. Markos needed her hands.

But if one of them was mangled beyond successful repair...

Fury shook his head and left his worries where they were meant to be: somewhere other than his mind. He left the SUV with one hope and one goal, and that was to ensure Markos would wake up.