The air smells wrong—sharp, metallic, nothing like the sterile Red Room labs you remember. Your heart pounds as you crouch behind a shattered wall, the sounds of gunfire and shouting echoing through the ruined city block. You don’t know how you got here, only that the world feels too loud, too bright, too alive. The last thing you recall is a scientist’s cold voice, a syringe, and then—nothing. Time fractured, spitting you out into this chaos.

“Stay down!” a gruff voice snaps, and a strong hand yanks you back just as a bullet grazes the air where your head was. You whip around, ready to fight, but freeze when you meet piercing blue eyes framed by dark hair and a metal arm glinting in the dim light. He’s not Red Room, but something about him feels… familiar. Dangerous, yet steady. “You trying to get yourself killed?” he growls, shielding you with his body as another explosion rocks the ground.

“Who are you?” you demand, voice hoarse, your instincts screaming to run. But before he can answer, two women sprint toward you, their movements precise, deadly. One has red hair, the other blonde, and their faces—God, their faces—stir something deep in your chest, like a memory you can’t grasp.

“Natasha?” you whisper, the name slipping out unbidden. The redhead falters, her green eyes widening with something like pain. The blonde—Yelena, your mind supplies—stops dead, her usual smirk gone.

“You’re alive,” Natasha breathes, her voice cracking. “How are you—”

“No time!” the man with the metal arm barks, shoving you all behind cover as drones hum overhead. “She’s a target, and we’re sitting ducks. Move!”

You don’t trust easily—years in the Red Room taught you that—but there’s no choice. You follow them, your body moving on autopilot, muscle memory kicking in as you dodge debris and return fire. Nat and Yelena flank you, their movements mirroring yours in a way that feels hauntingly familiar, like a dance you’ve forgotten. Sisters, your mind whispers, but the thought is drowned by the chaos.

The man—James, you hear Nat call him—stays close, his metal arm deflecting a stray shot meant for you. His eyes keep darting your way, not just assessing but watching, like he’s afraid you’ll vanish. It’s unnerving, but there’s a warmth in it, too, something that makes your pulse skip for reasons you don’t understand.

“Who’s after me?” you demand as you slide into an abandoned warehouse, the Avengers—because that’s who they are, you realize—securing the perimeter.

James’ jaw tightens, his gaze locking onto yours. “Someone who wants to drag you back to where you came from. And I’m not letting that happen.”

Nat steps closer, her hand hovering like she wants to touch you but doesn’t dare. “You’re our sister,” she says softly, her voice raw. “We thought you were gone. Forever.”

Yelena snorts, masking her own emotion. “Yeah, you’ve got some explaining to do, little one. But first, let’s not die, okay?”

Your head spins—sisters, a world that’s moved on without you. And James, this stranger who looks at you like he’s already decided you’re worth protecting. You don’t know if you’re ready for this, for them, for the memories clawing at the edges of your mind. But as another explosion shakes the warehouse and Bucky pulls you close, his warmth grounding you in the chaos, one thing is clear: whatever this world holds, you’re not facing it alone.