Darkened Shadows

Prologue

A young woman hurries down the city streets in the early hours of the morning. In her arms is a sleeping baby, bundled up tight. This child isn't more than a couple days old. Nervously, the woman checks her surroundings, constantly searching for anyone that might catch her in the act of abandoning this child on the steps of the city orphanage.

"It's rather late for you to be out here with a child, isn't it?" a dark voice called from the shadows of the alleyway she had just passed.

The woman doesn't stop, and quickens her already fast pace.

"I know what you're doing." The woman stops. "You don't have to completely abandon it. I'll take your child and raise it as my own." She turns to look at the man who has now stepped into the dim street light. He's tall, with short dirty blonde hair. It was too dark to tell what color his eyes were, but she could tell that they gleamed with malicious intent.

"You've got it all wrong mister" the young woman choked out, frightened. "I'm not abandoning her, I'm just heading to my sister's apartment, she said there was an emergency, so I really must be going." She turned to leave again, hoping that he wouldn't follow and realize her lie.

She heard a sinister chuckle from behind.

"Oh you're mistaken ma'am."

There was a gunshot and a searing pain coming from the woman's torso. She looked down at the blood blossoming on her clothing, gasping for air.

"I wasn't asking for permission. I was simply telling you what I was going to do."

She stumbled forward, trying to escape her certain fate. This isn't what she wanted for her child. All she wanted was to give her a chance at a life where someone could take care of her. She wasn't ready to be a mother, but she would have taken motherhood over death any day.

Not hearing his approaching footsteps, she wasn't ready for when he appeared in front of her and ripped the now awake and screaming child from her arms. She collapsed to the ground and stared up at this horrible man.

"No, please, don't take her"

Smirking down at the dying woman he uttered one final sentence before leaving her on the sidewalk:

"Thank you, for your contributions to science, Ms. Parker. HYDRA appreciates it."