Colors of the Wind

by spidermanpls

No one knows much about Captain America's childhood. He doesn't talk about it and they don't ask. But then something happens that forces him to reveal parts of his past that he'd rather remain hidden, and the world's most powerful team of superheroes will never look at their leader the same way again.

3. A Situation

Chapter Two

It was around 6:00 in the evening before the Avengers received any further information about their friend. They spent over three hours standing around impatiently in the waiting room of a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility in Pennsylvania, and no one came to talk to them, to explain the situation, or to even give them a basic idea of what was going on. So of course, as people often do, they immediately assumed the worst, and as the time dragged on and there was still no information, their minds were drawn to more terrible scenarios.

Finally, at 6:04 p.m. (Tony was keeping track of the time), a weary-looking doctor emerged from one of the many doors.

"Mr. Stark?" he motioned for them to join him. The Avengers stood up quickly, pushing to hear what he had to say.

"How is he?" Was the first question out of all of their mouths. The doctor, whose name-tag read "Gao", sighed.

"To be completely honest, we're...not sure." He admitted.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Bruce asked politely. Doctor Gao seemed horrified that the Avengers, the saviors of the Earth, had been kept in the dark for so long, and quickly explained the situation.

"Captain Rogers was injured on a recent mission," he informed them. "Now, I don't know all the details, as the mission was classified, but I know that he was found alone, seriously hurt, and brought here as soon as possible."

"What exactly does 'seriously hurt' include?" Tony interrupted impatiently.

"Three broken ribs, a broken leg, a slight concussion, a sprained ankle, and a collapsed lung," the doctor replied.

Bruce took a calming breath. "But he's okay?"

"Well…" Doctor Gao hesitated. Immediately, the Avengers were on high alert, their expressions warning Gao to continue right away.

"Captain Rogers has not sustained any permanent physical damage. However, there is a…condition you should be aware of."

"Spit it out, Doc," Clint growled threateningly when he paused again.

"Through an unknown process, Captain Rogers has been transformed to a pre-serum state. Essentially, he has the body and mental faculties of a child."

"What does this mean?" Thor sounded worried.

"It means Cap is basically a kid," Tony replied hoarsely.