Bright sunlight cascaded over the tall hotels of the Las Vegas strip, reflecting off of windows and bouncing off of light colored materials. Palm trees, crowds of people on the sidewalks, cars everywhere, it was just like I imagined it. Almost as busy as New York, but with a little more flash of a unique town. A hot wind swept through my hair as Steve pushed on the gas on the motorcycle we had 'borrowed'. His shield latched onto the front of the bike as he drove, determination and focus written all over his face. "Of course they found us. They always do."

I turned around, one hand latched around Steve's stomach, and the other aimed at one of the cop cars behind us. I used up a lot of energy to twist the front of it magnetically and watched as the engine failed. I flattened my hand and stopped the car from hitting anything else. "Well, you do have a one-of-a-kind shield. Big giveaway if you ask me."

"Well, we need it."

"Well, if you would have hid it better, nobody would have called the police," I stressed.. People screamed and caught some of the high speed chase as we sped by.

"You know what, Parker?" Steve sassed, keeping his blue eyes on the road. He swerved to avoid hitting some pedestrians on the crosswalk and ran the red light. It seemed like all of the cars were jammed up at red lights to make way for the chase.

A bullet grazed my leg and I gasped from shock. I bared my teeth to keep down any screams of pain and exhaled, "What, Rogers?"

"Maybe if you wouldn't have hacked into Nat's phone, they wouldn't have known where we were."

"I didn't think they'd find us so quickly. It's not like they're patrolling every state, right?" I glanced down at my wound and found that the bullet only flew by and not into my leg. I sighed in relief as it began to heal slowly and focused on the cars behind us.

Steve dodged some random cars passing by as the lights turned green and grunted as he avoided hitting a random pedestrian. Sweat dripped down his temple, his sweaty hands curved around the handles. He took a sharp turn to the right, but a police car came up from behind and sent both of us flying. Steve rolled onto the street, grasping his shield in his hand. I smacked into a car windshield and bounced off into the street. I groaned and tried to shake it off, but my head was pounding with an intense pain. The car honked and people began stepping out of their cars to see the event happening in front of them.

I picked myself up and followed Steve down the street. A news helicopter swooned overhead, capturing every second on video. Guns sounded off and bullets zipped passed us as we ducked behind cars. I tried to stop the bullets from hitting anyone, but nothing happened. Innocent people began screaming as they were shot or others around them collapsed. Steve tugged my arm and led me through the crowded sidewalk.

I glanced back at the police chasing us, and saw plastic guns in their hands. Plastic guns, plastic bullets...I guess 3D printers are my enemy. I contemplated and tried to freeze the ground. The police slipped and tumbled over, but others just jumped over it.

"Get out of the way!" Steve and I yelled simultaneously, warning people from getting hurt. Most followed what we said, but some pulled out their cell phones and started recording the scene.

The SWAT team and other governmental officers pulled up at the end of the street, blocking us in. I pulled Steve into an alley and headed into The Venetian casino and hotel through the back way. We nearly crashed into all the chefs in the kitchen and quickly got out of there and into the back stairwell. Steve went up first, going up the steps faster than I ever could.

He poked his head out of the door leading to one of the higher floors hotel rooms. He motioned for me to wait, but I tapped my foot impatiently. We didn't have time for this. I pushed him into the hall and walked ahead, taking control of the situation. I didn't know where we were headed, but I had an idea in mind. Voices were heard down the hall and I planted a portal in front of the door next to us.

We walked on white marble flooring into the hotel room suite. My eyes widened in pure joy and I nearly cried. I hadn't seen a bed in ages, and seeing two queen sized beds in front of me made me want to scream out in happiness. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay. A small sunken living room lay to my left with the most plush looking couches I've seen in my life. Rich colors danced around the fabrics of every material in the room colliding to create a beautiful setting. Windows lined the wall of the living room, casting a glorious view of Las Vegas.

Rogers glanced around after taking in the scenery. His face showed a slight pain and yearning for home. "Look for clothes. Maybe we could get out of here without being noticed."

I pointed at what he held in his hand. "It doesn't help that you have a big shield or anything. Or the fact that our faces and hands are dirty as hell."

"I can put it into..." Steve grabbed a hold of a black suit bag that lay on the bed and started shoving his shield inside. "I'll use this."

I rubbed my throbbing temples and tried to contain every ounce of sarcasm that I had, which was harder than I thought. The shield was definitely wider than the suit bag itself, but maybe in a one in a million chance opportunity, it would work. "This is the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard."

He sighed and gave me a bored look. "Do you have a better idea?"

Well...no. Not really. I scrunched my face up in defeat. He was right. As always.

"Didn't think so," he said and turned around to go on a search for clothes. He took point at the dresser, so I headed towards the closet.

I turned the light on and stepped inside the medium sized walk-in closet. New clothes hung on the hangers like business attire, dresses, suits, casual clothes, and pajamas. Whoever was staying here must have been out to a meeting or something. "Hey, I found some clothes."

"For both of us?" He asked as he walked in.

I nodded and handed him some casual clothes. "Try these on. We need to hurry up and get out of here before they start locking the building down."

"You say that to me, but you're the one that usually takes forever," Steve shot back with a chuckle. A playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he walked out.

I rolled my eyes and started taking clothes off of the hangers. I threw on an orange shirt over my black tank top and a blue pair of boot-cut jeans. They were two sizes or three above mine, so they were baggy. That helps my cover...I think. I grabbed a hair band from my wrist and twirled the top layer of my hair into a ponytail. I snatched a fedora from the rack and cleaned my glasses on my way out of the closet. Steve flexed in the shirt I had given him and scrunched his nose in dismay. I raised an eyebrow and took in the moment. "That's about the size of your running shirt."

He huffed and put his hands on his hips. "It's a bit tighter than that," he admitted. He glanced my outfit over. "At least I'm not the only one with wardrobe problems."

I put my hand over my heart and looked offended. "Steve Rogers, did you just insult this poor woman's wardrobe choices?" I rushed to the bathroom to wash my face and hands from the dirt and grime.

Steve followed me and splashed some soap and water onto his hands and face. "No. I'm not insulting her choice in fashion. I was just saying those clothes don't really fit you. My clothes don't fit me. I was simply comparing."

I gave him the hand towel and said with a small smile, "I was kidding, Steve." I put the fedora on his head and went to wait at the door. I wasn't the biggest fan of fedoras, but it looked pretty cute on him.

"It's been a long time since you've joked around," Steve replied softly. He grabbed the suit bag with the shield inside and continued, "I can't wait to go back to our old lives. Arguing. Joking around. Not running from the government."

"Yeah...that sounds great," I agreed and turned around. Steve stared at me with hint of sorrow and longing, his mouth curved into a tight line. I rubbed my hand on his forearm for some comfort and ushered him out of the room.

Voices sounded off from around the corner and Steve grabbed my hand. He looked at the ground and I turned to him to hide half of my face. He chuckled lightly and engaged in a fake conversation as the agents came around the corner. A fake Brooklyn accent flew out of Steve's mouth, "I've got reservations planned for tonight. Pretty nervous about it, though."

The accent threw me off for a second, but I caught on to what he was doing. I made my voice a little lower than usual and softer, "Why are you nervous?"

The agents passed by without a second glance at us and monitored the hall. Steve continued so they wouldn't get suspicious, "I've never taken a pretty girl out and have her actually pay attention to me before."

A flash of sadness swept through me. Steve told me about the real double dates he had with Bucky a long time ago. The girl never paid attention to him and was jealous of the girl that was with Bucky. After Steve became Captain America, he didn't have time for dates, even though girls would have lined up to go out with him. That brought us here to modern day, and he had yet to have a few dates. He's not a guy who knows what love feels like. He wants it, craves it, thinks about it. He knows there's something missing, but missing something you've never really had only makes it worse. Wait, I paid attention to him on our first date! Why am I feeling sad, then? "Well, you have all of my attention." I gave his hand a slight squeeze as we made it to the elevator.

We put our backs to the camera and leaned against the elevator wall. He brought me close for a second and slung his arm around my shoulder. Steve still spoke in his accent in case the agents were watching the security cameras, "I'm really glad I have you."

I wrapped my arm around his waist when the elevator doors opened. We stepped out and I kept my eyes on the ground. Maybe they wouldn't notice me from an angle. Steve kept his head slightly down, but enough to see where we were going. I could feel his abs underneath the shirt. "I'd be really glad to have me too."

He pinched my side after we made it through the front doors and into the street. I almost let out a laugh until he pinched me again and smiled. Rogers didn't feel the need to talk anymore and just admired me for a second. Something flashed across his mind and pecked at his features, making his eye twitch slightly.

A guy bumped into him and apologized. Steve didn't stumble backwards or anything, but his shield fell out of the bag. It clanked against the floor loudly and drew attention to us. The man that bumped into Steve looked down, then back up at him. He put his hand on his belt, uncovering a holstered gun and a badge.

Undercover agent. Smart. I thought. Steve snatched the shield and I pushed the agent down. We sprinted off through the crowd, listening to the yelling from afar. Agent scrambled to our position and a helicopter hovered overhead. Guns fired and set the crowd into a panicked frenzy.

I shoved Steve into the casino next to us and made him follow me. I passed a lot of slot machines, old people, puffs of cigarette smoke, and waitresses in revealing outfits. Teens heading to bowling alleys walked on the sidelines and other people walked towards cafes or restaurants. Steve and I ran practically through the middle of the place, trying to stay away from as many people as possible. Agents came in left and right, eventually flanking us.

Steve threw his shield at the men. The shield bounced off of them, slot machines, and walls up until I caught it. I hit other agents with it and took out anyone that tried to attack Rogers from behind. Steve kicked a police officer into a slot machine and threw another across the way. He yelled out apologies as he punched a guy in the throat, rendering him breathless. A few hits, punches, and knockouts later, we were ready to move on. More reinforcements were coming. I charged forward and headed towards one of the other entrances.

An agent came up our side, knocking an old lady out of the way to get to us. Steve grunted as he kicked him down to the ground and punched him hard. He then proceeded to help the old lady up and got her belongings together before returning back to me.

I admired him for that. His kindness, generosity, there was so much about Steve Rogers that made me want to become a better person. I held the shield against my abdomen and ran through the other entrance. Government agents littered the street, aiming all of their guns at us. Steve bumped into me, causing me to jerk forward. I snapped my fingers and felt a power leave my hand. A blue portal spawned in front of us leading to the roof of the Palazzo hotel and casino, and we hopped through quickly. It was simple enough to just hop from roof to roof using portals. It would at least give us more time to think of a better plan.

Bang. Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Steve let out a sharp gasp and lost his footing.

The portal closed behind us and disappeared without a trace. I dove to get a grip on Steve and lifted him up. Worry took over my features as my mind took in what just happened. "Oh, God...Steve!"

He dropped his shield and it hit the roof with a loud thud. Blood poured out of the two bullet wounds in his stomach. Luckily, the bullets had gone all the way through, so no more damage could be done. Steve struggled to push the words out of his throat, but managed to do so, "Go. Leave me."

I set him down gently against the walled edge of the roof and took off my shirt, revealing a black tank-top underneath. "No, not without you," I declared sternly. I winced as my hand grazed my back and I noticed the blood staining my fingers. A bullet had lodged itself in the back of my shoulder, but didn't go all the way through. Crap... I attempted to take the slug out, until it donned on me that it was made of plastic. The wound wouldn't heal for a while. At least the other two bullets didn't hit us. That was the bright side. My number one priority is helping Steve right now. I ripped the shirt and tied it tightly around Cap's torso, trying to make it into a tourniquet.

"Lilly, they might test on you. I can't...I can't let that happen..." He began to cough and propped himself up on the wall. His piercing blue eyes looked into mine, his short blond hair partially in his face and shining in the light. Blood trickled down his nose and slithered down onto his lips. He held a look of defeat. Agony. Fear. "Please..."

Steve's words echoed in my mind. He was really concerned about me and my safety. But there was no way I was going to leave him. I wasn't going to abandon my team at some high tech prison and try to figure things out on my own. It'd be easier to get caught on purpose to get on the inside instead of breaking in by myself. If I was going to stick with not murdering anyone, it'd be impossible. Right? My hazel eyes glimpsed away from his stare and licked my dry lips. "Our plan failed. Getting everyone out of jail? I don't know what we were thinking. Getting inside to be together, though, that seems like our only option. We can get out as a team. If five uncooperative strangers can escape a jail in space, we can do this," I insisted. There was hope. There had to be some somewhere in the sad world of ours.

A helicopter soared above us and stopped at the other end of the roof. Agents of all kinds slid down rope and landed on the roof, their boots clinking against the gravel. They put their plastic guns aimed at our faces, and all of them began to yell over the sounds of the spinning blades of the copter.

Steve gathered all his strength and pushed me off of the roof in an effort to keep me out of the government's hold. He had hopes I would catch something and land safely.

I yelped and reached my hands out to grab onto something. My nails latched onto the side of the building, but gravity yanked me down, breaking my nails in the process. I fell backwards and faced the blue sky, watching as Steve's figure got smaller and smaller. I flipped around and began to hyperventilate. Falling...I'm falling. No. Please, no. My worst fear became reality. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. My hands shot out and placed a thick layer of ice below me, but I instantly crashed through it. The small, pale blue shards descended from the sky like a soft, but sharp rain. People began screaming and pointing from below. Some took cover and others put their hands over their mouths.

Need...slow down. My thoughts started to break up into fragments as panic and fear swelled up in my chest. My heart thumped wildly and felt like it was going to give out. My eyes watered from the air and I let out a small scream. Goosebumps formed on my skin as the reality set in. The ground got closer and closer. Every second nagged at my brain. Tick. Tock.

Blood. Blood would be everywhere. My bones would break and pierce out of my skin in the worst possible way. My skull would shatter. Everyone would post it on the internet and it would go viral. The government would cover it up by saying I jumped on my own to prevent capture, or pin it on Steve, even if he did it to protect me.

Tick.

"Stop...stop..." I muttered to myself in short breaths. My fingers were bleeding immensely now from the broken nails, and I put my hands out to brace for impact. I wanted to be anywhere but here. Anywhere. Just not falling through the air. Steve...launched me off roof...

Tock.

My hand twitched and a red portal formed below me. My powers tried to help me in any way, otherwise, the way the situation unfolded would have a drastically opposite outcome.

The other end of the portal was horizontal along the sidewalk and made me crash and roll on the ground. I rolled into people, the force of the fall causing some of them to fall over as well. My head hit a mailbox and the rest of my body crashed into a light pole. A broken cry escaped my lips and blood oozed out of my fractured leg. A sharp sound enveloped my hearing, blocking everything else that was happening around me. 

I tried to get up, but I fell right back down. The world spun around me, and my limbs felt heavy. So heavy. As if the weight of the world had finally set into my aching bones. It pulled down, suffocating me until I desperately tried to get air. My vision began to black out slowly, seeing only a few seconds of real life in between pitch black darkness.

Then the darkness took over.