~ROGERS~

I walk into the medical room, the smell of a cleaning products filling my nose. "You lucky son of a bitch." I say, a small smile on my lips. Nick Fury sits before me, reclined on an upright hospital bed. A large bandage is wrapped around his chest and a drip sits in his left hand. "I'm a hard man to kill." He retorts. I nod absentmindedly, my thoughts wandering to other places. Fury notices my sudden silence.

"You know what's going to happen now, don't you?" He asks. I nod sadly, my gaze fixed to the ground.

"Mel's proved to be an ongoing threat. SHIELD thinks she killed you and if she continues to get people out of Melony's way as fast as she is, I don't think we'll have a chance of stopping her. But if we do, SHIELD won't be happy about her being free to do what she wants, and I don't think the rest of the world will be either. We were treading on pretty thin ice when this happened to Bucky to the point where we almost started a war." I pause, the reality of the situation sinking in. "I don't think we can avoid it this time."

Nick Fury stays sitting upright on the small bed, his pale lips pursed. "There is a question you need to ask yourself, Captain." He says, pausing. "Is saving a single person worth the catastrophic outcome?" I tilt my head upward, looking him directly in the eye.

"Everyone is worth saving. If you stop believing in that, then where do you draw the line of who's expendable and who isn't? That's a dark path, and I'm not going down it. If we give up on Mel now, you lose her, you lose Bucky and then, you lose me. I've made my choice. I suggest that you make yours, Fury."

"Is that a threat Rogers?"

"No. It's a warning." I say, standing up and leaving the small room.

My hand grips my shield tighter as I walk towards Tony Stark, who has a smirk on his face. "He's alive." He says plainly. I nod. "Does SHIELD know?" I ask. He shakes his head. I guess that means they still don't know we're here either. "How's your nose holding up?" He asks me lightly. I chuckle. "Just great. Mel broke it pretty damn well." Tony nods, and we stand in silence for a while.

"Spangles, I just want you to be... Careful when you see her again okay? It was different for you and Bucky, you've been friends for a long time." I wait for him to continue. "What I'm trying to say is, she's not in her right mind. You aren't going to provoke memories for her. You can't be afraid to stop her, even if that me as using force. You know that right?" I furrow my brows slightly. "I need to find Bucky." I say, trailing off. I turn and start to walk away.

"Spangles-"

"I've gotta go."

***

~ANIMALIA~

I walk into a quiet town somewhere in Oregon, my soft footfalls on echoing down the street. Lonely street lamps line the outskirts of the road, their dim lights flickering in the night. I make my way through the town, hoping to stumble across some sort of shelter, or source of food. I sniff the cold air, the fresh oxygen feeling good in my lungs. The smells of dirt and water flood my senses.

I follow the smell of the water, quickly finding a small stream cutting through the left side of town. Running up to it, I dip my furry head down to meet the water. I lap up the clear liquid greedily, it's soothing coolness trickling down my dry throat. Looking around while I drink, my golden eyes spot a clothesline outside outside of a porch a few houses away with a pair of black sneakers nearby.

I finish drinking, padding up to the garments swaying in the breeze. Water droplets fall down from my jowls, pooling on the dusty ground. Many shirts and pants hang from the clothesline above of me, many of them dull in colour. Checking for prying eyes one last time, I transform back into a human, grabbing a larger looking striped shirt and some long, black pants.

I turn back into the wolf, grabbing the garments with my sharp teeth and running into the concealment of the forest. Once there, I change into the clothes, the dark pants fitting, although slightly baggy. The checkered shirt hangs rather low, the normally round neckline becoming much larger. I slip the black sneakers onto my feet, which are a size too small.

I sit down on the leaf-covered ground, the cold seeping deep into my bones. I need to come up with a plan, some way to survive without spending my life as an animal. I could go to New York in the morning, try to test the waters. To see what's going on, how much attention I'm getting. How much attention Animalia is getting. I might be able to find a way to get some money or a place to sleep there. Maybe there'll be someone there who can help, as long as I don't look like myself.

I close my heavy eyes.

Sounds like a plan.

~BARNES~

My jaw is tightly set, disappointment and anger flowing through my veins. "We can't trust them." I say to Steve, who seems reluctant to say more. "I know. I don't think SHIELD  will let her stay alive, and Tony isn't her biggest fan." He says. I run my hands through my long, greasy hair, sighing.

"This isn't going to end well." Steve continues.

"I know."

"If she survives..."

"I know Steve."

"Okay. But we need to come up with a plan." I nod. "I have good news. Agent thirteen- Do you know Agent thirteen?" I shake my head. "She works for SHIELD and owes me a few favours. Anyway, she's currently working undercover at HYDRA and I found out on my way here that Mel hasn't reported back to their headquarters. She's missing."

My eyes widen, a smile starting to break out across my face. "That means-"

"She's escaped, and she knows there's something wrong with HYDRA."