The cold wind cut through the streets of Bucharest, carrying the scent of rain and exhaust as Griffin and {{user}} moved through the crowds. They kept their heads down, blending in, just two more shadows among many. This city had become their refuge, their hiding place after breaking free from HYDRA’s grip.

Griffin’s hand twitched at his side—a habit he hadn’t shaken, even after months of trying to be just another face in the world. He’d spent years as the Revenant, a ghost controlled by others. Now, he was trying to be… something else. Someone else. And he wasn’t doing it alone.

{{user}} had been there when they escaped, had stayed with him even when they could have run. They had fought beside him, bled beside him. Now, they were in this together.

The apartment was in an older building, tucked away in a quiet part of the city. The kind of place where people minded their own business. It wasn’t much—bare walls, mismatched furniture, a constant chill that crept in through the cracks—but it was safe. Or at least, it had been.

The moment they stepped inside, Griffin knew something was wrong.

He shifted, tense, his fingers clenching involuntarily. The air smelled different—like someone else had been here. {{user}} sensed it too, their breath hitching for just a second.

Then, a voice came from the shadows.

“Hey, Fin.”

Griffin spun, his heart slamming against his ribs. Grant Shepherd stood across the room, hands raised in a gesture of peace. His face was older, wearier than Griffin remembered, but the concern in his eyes was the same as ever.

Bucky’s jaw clenched. “Grant.”

{{user}} exhaled slowly, glancing between them.

“We need to talk,” Grant said. “Before it’s too late.”

A noise outside made them all freeze. A moment later, boots pounded up the stairwell. A voice barked in Romanian—“Deschideți ușa! Poliția!”

The police. They were coming for Griffin.

“Move,” Griffin growled, already reaching for the backpack he kept packed for this exact moment.

The door shattered open, and the fight began.