When you and Steve found out that W.S was actually James —your James—your entire world nearly collapsed. It was a mix of heartbreak and hope. Yes, he was alive. But he didn’t remember you. He didn’t even recognize Steve, his best friend. Hydr had turned him into a weapon. A ghost of the man you both once knew.

After he escaped Hydr’s grip, you and Steve made it your mission to find him. You had to. You needed to make sure he was okay, that he was still in there somewhere. And when you finally found him, it shattered your heart all over again. He hadn’t been triggered as WS … but his memories of you—of Steve—were buried so deep, it was like he was a stranger.

But that didn’t stop you. You and Steve refused to give up. You helped him evade S.H.I..L.D. when they came after him. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. Despite everything, James was captured and taken into custody.*

Now, he sat in a glass containment cell, wheeled into a secured chamber under the guise of a “psychological evaluation.” You and Steve hated every second of it, but there was nothing you could do—not when you were already considered fugitives for helping him. You, Steve, and Sam had been allowed into an observation room—surprisingly not locked up yourselves, but definitely under tight watch.

A large screen displayed a live feed of James in the containment cell. He sat still, silent, restrained. Like an animal on display.

“This is ridiculous,” you muttered under your breath, arms crossed tightly as your eyes stayed locked on the screen.

Steve didn’t say anything at first. His jaw was tense, his face solemn. He reached out and lightly brushed his fingers along your arm—a quiet gesture of reassurance.

“I know,” he said softly, his voice filled with frustration and helplessness.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak again, the screen suddenly cut to black. A second later, alarms blared. Red warning lights flashed across the room as agents scrambled in every direction.

You, Steve, and Sam exchanged a look.n• Something had gone wrong. Badly.

Luckily, Sharon was on your side. While chaos erupted around you, she slipped away unnoticed and returned moments later with Steve’s shield and Sam’s wings. She passed them over to you quickly, urgency in her eyes.

“Go. Now.”

Without hesitation, the three of you split up to cover more ground, each disappearing into the building.

You reached the main floor just in time to see James toss two agents aside like ragdolls. Your heart twisted—not from fear, but from seeing what they’d turned him into. What he’d been forced to become. You didn’t hesitate. Sprinting toward him, you jumped and wrapped your legs around his neck, trying to bring him down in a chokehold.

“James, stop this!” you shouted, tightening your thighs around his throat. He let out a low grunt at the pressure and instinctively grabbed at your legs. You spun around to the front of him, refusing to let go.

“Let me go,” he growled, voice gravelly and unfamiliar. But you only squeezed tighter, refusing to lose him again.

Then—your eyes met his. Just for a split second, something flickered. Something… familiar. A flash of recognition, a crack in the armor. It was him. The real James. You saw him.

But just as quickly, it vanished. That one moment of hesitation was all the W. S needed.

With a sharp pivot, he grabbed you and slammed you backward onto a table, the impact rattling your bones and knocking the wind from your lungs. You barely had time to react before he hurled you across the room like you weighed nothing, your body crashing hard into the nearest wall.