A/N: I wrote this for a prompt on avengerkink and thought to post it here. I hope you enjoy.

/ prologue /

Steve is helping getting victims out of the underground lair, not even paying attention to the continuing hum of the machine across the room. His main focus - as always - is to get these poor women and children out of this hell hole. Steve doesn't understand what experimentation went on here but everyone seems to be withering, with saggy, greyish skin. Even the young ones haven't escaped such fate.

With being the victims of malnutrition it was easy to carry them to the door and send them down the hall to Natasha. The others were taking care of the powerful, crazed scientist whom no one could stop until they came along. He had built himself crazy armor but Steve is sure Iron Man is more than a match for him.

He ushers the last of the women out and that is when he notices his ears are ringing. He turns around to observe the machine in the corner that is humming and it appears to be giving off a lot of energy. Steve isn't quite sure what it is - it's cylindrical and appears to be metal - but he knows it isn't good news. Not at all.

Steve isn't sure how long he stares at it. It's entrancing. The hum, the faint light. The everything.

Cap become so hypnotized that he doesn't even re-act with his shield when the boom happens.

-

Natasha is down the hall helping escort victims out, leading them in the right direction. She's at the door leading outside when all of a sudden a reverberating BOOM goes off and the spy only contains her composure long enough to lead the woman to safety before she darts off back down the long stretch of white hallway. She doesn't respond to Clint who was on the rooftop watching out for stray apprentices who haven't shown their ugly mugs yet.

"Steve!" Natasha shouts, her voice tinged with panic.

For an explosion there seems to be nothing broken. Natasha doesn't step on any broken glass nor are any doors she passes un-hinged. Did something malfunction? And more importantly was the Cap alright?

The last door on the right is open and she has her gun pulled out of her it's holster. Her expert eyes scan the room and she slowly enters. Natasha observes a metal cylinder at the corner of the room but she isn't sure what it's doing there. It's basically a nothing. There are gurneys and tables with vicious instruments near it. What purpose could that have?

What she doesn't see is Cap.

"Steve?"

"Ma'am?" says a tiny voice.

Natasha had been looking at eye level. Steve is taller than her, she expected him to be kneeling with his shield held out in front of him. But there's a kid who pops out from behind the cylinder. He has Cap's tights tied around his waist and upper legs as some sort of makeshift pants to cover himself. He looks to be about 6.

Gold hair. Big blue eyes.

No. No.

"Ma'am, where's Bucky? We were supposed to play today," the child says. His eyes look toward her gun and he narrows his eyes, inching back behind his protection.

Natasha can't help but have her mouth wide open. She quickly regains composure and puts her gun back in her holster. The woman kneels down with her hands held up up, a sign of peace.

"I'm here to help, Steve," she says carefully. "Do you know who I am?"

His eyes widen and he asks, "Are you with the army?"

She smirks. "Sort of."

"Which side?"

"America."

Steve smiles and walks up to her. He has a big blush spreading across his face. "Sorry ma'am I don't know where my clothes went. I saw a shirt but . . . it was too big for me it went on the ground. Gettin' clothes dirty ain't right."

"We'll get you some new ones I promise. Come with me."

"What 'bout Bucky? I don't want him to get lost without me," Steve says. He scours the room with distrustful eyes. "This is a weird place. I don't like it."

Natasha tries to steer the conversation away from Bucky. Steve doesn't appear to have any memories beyond being this age. It would be unfair to shove all of this on him so soon . . . but going outside is going to be a shock. How should she explain this?

"Steve," she says, gaining his attention. "When we go outside you might see some weird things. Things you've never seen before. But you're going to be okay."

Natasha pauses. She doesn't know how they'll get out of this mess.

"You're going to be okay."