Steve and Natasha's relationship has grown since their last meeting with Dr. Kafka. Though they would have disagreements as all couples must eventually face, they have grown closer than they were even after the events of D.C. Training the new team of Avengers takes up a lot of their time, and while Steve had spent the previous year with Sam unsuccessfully trying to track down Bucky, he still hadn't given up on finding his long lost best friend. Natasha knew that this was something Steve needed to do, and she even helped where she could with her various contacts. She had been hesitant at first, knowing how closely her past was linked with that of the Winter Soldier, but also found herself believing that under what HYDRA did to him; Barnes was as a good a man as Steve said. Despite this their world was not as stable as they could have hoped when news of a rumored registration act reached the team. The news even happened to coincide with the day Bucky Barnes finally stopped running, and Steve and Sam caught up to him.

"Hey Cap. This would have been a lot easier a week ago."

"If we call Tony…"

"He wouldn't believe us."

"Even if he did…"

"Who knows if the accords would have let him help."

"We're on our own."

"Maybe not…, I know a guy."

While Sam wasn't exactly thrilled to be attempting to make contact with a guy the size of an ant who kicked the crap out of him, it was their best option to help Barnes. Scott Lang was still adjusting to his new life as Ant-Man, and he still couldn't believe even after all this time that he had gone toe to toe with an Avenger. He had even secured a job at Pym Industries, and though he barely saw Hope since she took over for Cross, they too were slowly building a relationship. It was one afternoon when he was visiting his daughter Cassie that he got a call he thought was from Luis.

"Mr. Lang, you were responsible for breaking into Avengers headquarters, and we want to know how."

"Who is this?"

"Someone who can help you, but to do that, you have to help me."

"How would I do that?"

"Look to your twelve o'clock."

Scott turns his head to look at the direction he thinks he's being told, but the voice on the other end of the line corrects him.

"No, your other twelve."

When he turns the other direction Scott sees a familiar face and his jaw drops. It's been a few months since he fought this man, and he thinks retribution has finally come.

"Look, I didn't want to fight you, and I'm sorry…"

"Mr. Lang, we can forget about the fight, but I'm going to need you to take a ride with me. Someone wants to meet you."

"So I'm supposed to take a ride with someone I don't know, possibly can't trust, and all because he says someone wants to meet me? You know how that sounds; right? And since you know my name, why don't you tell me yours."

"If it will move this along, fine. My name is Sam Wilson. Now you gonna take a ride with me or not? My friend doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Scott sighed and followed Sam to the waiting car. He could have still questioned why this Avenger was so determined to get him to come along, but the answers would only be revealed if he took the ride to meet this 'friend.' After an hour long drive they arrived at what appeared to be an abandoned military base. The car briefly stopped outside a gate with a call box, and Sam spoke.

"Cap; we're here. I've brought him."

"I copy that Falcon. Stand by for entry."

The gate opened automatically allowing the car to pass through. When it came to a stop, the two men sat, waiting in nervous silence. Minutes passed and Scott finally had to break the tension.

"So, Sam was it? Let me guess; this is where you're going to kill me and bury my body? Seems like a good place, no one would ever find me here."

Sam glanced back at Lang in the rearview mirror, shaking his head in annoyance. He knew that his opinion of this man when they first met was right on the money.

"Let me ask you something Lang. You ever get tired of being a smart-ass? I know someone you'd get along with real well."

"And who might that be?"

"Ever hear of Tony Stark?"

Scott's eyes go wide with shock and only a slight bit of fear. Hank had told him all he needed to know about the Starks, and the thought of meeting one of them was not his ideal way to spend the weekend.

"Stark isn't getting the Ant-Man suit Wilson. If he's the guy you want me to meet, forget it. I'd rather destroy the tech than hand it over to him."

"Relax Lang, you're not meeting Tony. Who you are here to meet doesn't want your tech in the hands of a Stark any more than you do."

"Then you gonna tell me who I am here to meet?"

"Yeah, him."

Scott's eyes follow to where Sam is pointing as a door opens in the facility. The man that steps out has an impressive stature and strides forward with purpose. Everything about him screams authority and leadership. He's too far away for a clear look at his face, but as he continues to approach, his features become more recognizable with the distance closing. When he stops in front of the car, Sam offers a salute and Scott can only stare.

"You've got to be kidding me Wilson. Is that…?"

"Yup, Captain Steven Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America."

Steve Rogers is exactly what Scott expected yet not what he expected at the same time. The Captain is clearly a soldier with years of combat experience, but the simple pair of blue jeans and the plain white t-shirt make him look at ease as if he was just another guy. Sam steps out of the car and shares a few words with Steve as Scott follows the former's lead and also steps from the car, hesitantly walking forward.

"So this is the guy, Sam?"

"Steve Rogers meet Scott Lang. He has… a unique set of skills."

"A set of skills that allowed him to beat you in a one on one fight, and break into our base?"

"Cap uh…"

"It's not about blame Sam. FRIDAY got some video of him. Actually it was a good test for the security of the base and your own skills. But that's not why we're here. Mr. Lang, why don't you tell me what you can do."

"Well, I have this suit that can help me shrink down to the size of an ant, while allowing me to keep my level of strength. I also have this ear piece which…,"

"I know what the suit can enable you to do. The whole base is monitored by video. I wasn't asking about Ant-Man. I was asking about the man without the suit."

"With all due respect Captain Rogers, I'm not exactly sure where you're going with this."

"Of course you're not. So instead of telling you; I'll show you."

Steve leads the way with Sam and Scott following behind him. As they walk through the abandoned corridors, the soldier begins explaining the situation.

"I don't know about your history Scott, but over the past two years Sam and I have been searching for someone. I first encountered him when he attempted to assassinate Nick Fury. He was highly skilled, trained in multiple forms of combat, and quite possibly the deadliest assassin the world has ever seen. You've probably heard of the ULTRON incident, and it has led to a system of accords that we're not sure where the government is going with yet. But we'll get to that in a moment. The point is; our search had been repeatedly coming up empty until recently."

"So you found this person you've been looking for. What has that got to do with me?"

"We found him, but it wasn't us that caught him. Sam actually found him shackled in the room we're about to enter. I can't begin to guess who put him here. Before we enter, you should know that this shackle is the kind neither Sam nor I have ever seen before. My hope is that you can get him free."

Steve walks in and Bucky is as he was when they first found him. He's crouched on the floor with his bionic arm still locked in place. He recognizes Steve and Sam, but the man with them is a complete mystery. Bucky flinches at the third man's approach, a slight look of fear entering his weary eyes. Scott bypasses Bucky entirely to get a better look at the device. He knows that if this man is locked up, it's for a good reason, and with Captain America and Sam watching his back, he should be relatively safe.

"Well Steve, now I know what you need me for. This device is highly sophisticated in its construction. But I have to know, did you call Stark to deal with this?"

"Can't involve Tony. Those accords I spoke of, we're not sure he'd be able to help, or even if he'd want to. So now's the time. Tell me what you can do."

"Well, shrinking down to the size of an ant might not be the ideal way to deal with this. If it was HYDRA that did this, they could have installed any number of explosives inside."

"How do you know about HYDRA?"

"Let's just say that I've had an encounter with them recently, Sam. And it's a situation I'm not all that keen on repeating. As for what I can do, I have a Masters in electrical engineering. I can work out a bypass for the lock on this, but it's not going to be easy. I'm going to need some time, and no distractions."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, a set of tools and a computer. And if possible, an extra set of hands from someone who can take orders without question."

"That would be me…,"

"Steve, hold up. Can we talk for a minute?"

Sam pulls Steve away for a conversation they don't want Scott to hear, whispering quietly about the situation.

"You can't be the one to stay here Steve. Even if Bucky has gotten his memories back, he could still slip back into old programming. If these accords are what we think, you need to be out there fighting them."

"That's not what you're worried about, is it Sam? What's really bothering you?"

"I am concerned about Bucky snapping, but we both know what the real problem is. Have you told Natasha that we found him yet?"

"I've been planning on it. We haven't seen much of each other. The training, the threat of HYDRA, I just…,"

"She put herself at risk Steve. She helped us with the search for him, and you can't keep this a secret from her. You love her, and she loves you. Tell her, she'll understand."

"She has a history with him Sam, and the little bit I know, it's not a pleasant history. I'm only thinking about her, the knowledge that we found him might put her in an uncomfortable situation."

"So you think you're protecting her. You know she would say that sounds patronizing. You also know how tough Natasha is, she can protect herself. It's a piece of advice. Something you should really consider."

Steve knows Sam is right, and when he's being honest with himself, he really is planning to tell her. As they walk back over, he decides to not put it off and bring it up when he gets back to the base, he trusts her with his life, and he can trust her with this.

"Okay Scott, Sam is going to stay with you. Give me an hour to get the rest of what you need together and you'll be all set."

Scott wrote down a quick list of exactly what he would need, and Steve left to gather the supplies. In less than an hour he was back, having acquired everything, and a little help from a former SHIELD agent who had extensive knowledge of HYDRA tech. But when Steve returned to the training facility, the news that greeted him would be not what he expected.

"Steve, you might want to sit down for this."

He sits, and he can see the tension in Hill's posture and hear the tremor in her voice as she prepares to break the news. He knows that whatever happened is going to have an effect on him personally.

"What is it Maria?"

"I just got a call from one of my contacts. Margaret Carter died last night."