Alexandra's POV

I do my best to fight my way out of this alone once James disappears but am not doing too hot thanks to my organs giving up on me. Only two of the five are still standing but I find myself growing weaker and weaker with each attack.

"How disappointing." One of them scoff. "I thought we raised you differently." They pull my mask off of my face.

"Go to hell." I spit, the internal bleeding evident through the blood coming out of my mouth.

"We will, but you're coming with us." The other one speaks, grabbing my arm and dragging me through the streets.

I hear the roar of a motorcycle approaching and do my best to call out for help. The lights blind me as the person gets closer. I can hear fighting but I can't see anything. I roll onto my stomach once I'm released and cough up an insane amount of blood.

"Shadow?" I hear a familiar voice behind me and freeze.

No no no. This can't be happening. Why did James say anything? He should've minded his own business.

I slowly push myself off of the ground, trying to get to my feet, but stumble. I feel strong arms catch me before I fall back onto the ground and my heartbeat quickens. Once I'm on my feet, I clutch my side and turn to face the man who saved me.

"Ally?" His eyes widen. "You're the Shadow?"

I free myself from his grip and look away from him. I feel my eyes starting to water and begin to walk away but he grabs my arm.

"What did they do to you?" He asks, turning me to face him.

I quickly wipe my unwelcomed tears away and look down again. "We're not safe here. They'll send more." I lead Steve out of the streets and to my apartment. "Don't touch anything." I say, opening the door and limping in.

Steve's eyes widen and I lock the door behind us before collapsing on my bed.

Steve's POV

I look around Ally's apartment and am shocked. I had a feeling that there was something different about her but I never would've guessed this.

I come to my senses when I realize Ally has gone into another room. I hear a strange voice from the other side of the door and press my ear against it to listen closer. Suddenly, the door opens to reveal Ally in a sports bra and spandex shorts with her hair in a bun.

"I.. I heard.. I thought." I struggle to find words.

"Oh, that's JAKS." She says as she stands in front of me. "This is all JAKS, actually." She gestures to the tech spread around the room.

"Like.. An artificial intelligence?" I ask, she nods.

I notice her struggling to stand and help her over to her bed. Once she lays down, I notice the big purple mark taking up half of her torso.

"How long has that been there?" I ask, looking up at her as I sit on the edge of her bed.

"A few months.." She admits. "It's gotten a lot worse after the other night."

I move closer to her and gently rub my thumb across the gash behind her ear. Ally clears her throat and I pull away after realizing how close I am.

"Y-You should get these taken care of." I sit back.

"So I've been told." She sighs.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say that you didn't fall on the stairs." I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

She stifles a laugh in response. We make eye contact and I feel my heart jump in my chest. She's the first the look away before speaking. "James told you?"

James? Oh, she means Bucky. "Not exactly." I sigh. She raises an eyebrow. "I saw this whole thing on the news and came to get Bucky and bring him back. As we were driving, he told me to go back. For him to willingly run back into anything involving Hydra means it must be important."

"You shouldn't have turned around." She says quietly. "You should've just left me."

"Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what those people would've done to you?" I ask, lifting her head.

"Yeah, I do." She avoids eye contact. "For a time, I was raised by Hydra."

I furrow my eyebrows. That's right, Shadow was a part of Hydra.

"That's how James and I know eachother. He taught me everything I know." There's an awkward silence between us until she speaks again. "You can tell Tony that I won't be returning. Silly me, thinking I wouldn't have a conflict with my double-life."

"What? No! You can't leave." I stress.

"How can I stay? They all hate me." She sighs.

"They don't hate you. They dislike Shadow." I correct her. "They don't have to know that you're her."

She looks up at me with furrowed eyebrows. "You don't even know me. Why would you lie to your team for me?"

"If Bucky trusts you, I trust you." I admit. "Plus, I'd like to have a few more breakfast dates."

She blushes and looks away from my gaze. "You should probably get going, before the others get suspicious."

I nod, agreeing with her, and stand from my seat. "Will you be okay?"

"I have been so far." She laughs, sitting up on her bed.

"I'll see you Monday?" I ask, taking one last look at her before opening the door.

"See ya Monday." She smiles.