At some secret HYDRA place…

Daniel growled at the scientist again. He did not like these people. They weren't nice, and they injected him with something that made him feel funny.

"What'd I tell you? No growling." the scientist warned, hand up in a striking pose.

Daniel didn't care. He felt threatened and, like a wild animal, caged. Daniel didn't know why he suddenly felt so animalistic. It happened after they injected that mysterious substance into his system.

"What did you do to me?" Daniel growled.

"We made you better. More connected with nature." the scientist cooed.

He stretched out his hand as though to tickle his chin, and Daniel chomped down on his hand. He tasted the sick, metallic taste of blood on his tongue and quickly released the scientist.

"You said nothing about biting." Daniel snarled sarcastically.

The scientist delivered a clout to his face with a club, sending Daniel whirling back. He was still seeing stars when the scientist clouted him again.

"Get this mutt out of my sight!" he bellowed.

Daniel was dragged to a dark cell and thrown in not so gently. Daniel whimpered as he curled into a ball.

Suddenly, he felt pain everywhere. He curled up tighter as he heard his bones and ligaments snapping and changing. He howled in pain, writhing as tears streamed down his contorting face.

After what seemed like ages, the pain finally began to dull. He looked down at his hands and saw that his once fair skinned hands had taken a tanner shade. He realized that he could see clearly in the darkness. He also saw that someone was watching him.

Daniel growled at the man, unsure if he could be trusted.

"It's okay. I'm too tired to hurt anyone. And even then, I wouldn't hurt a child." a soft voice assured him.

Daniel relaxed some, but tilted his head in curiosity. That's when his senses went into overdrive.

It was as though someone pulled cotton out of his ears. He had finally gotten over a stuffy nose, and scents of all kind were reaching him. He could taste the dirty air around him.

Daniel keeled over and choked on the terrible air.

He felt the hard, rough stone floor prickle under his hands.

"Are you okay?!" the soft voice asked panically.

"Ugh… what did they do to me?" Daniel whimpered.

"I'm not sure." the voice answered.

A crisp, piney scent filled Daniel's nose. He followed his head towards it and saw the man from before.

"What's your name?" Daniel asked quietly.

"Bruce Banner, and may I ask what yours is?" the man responded in a hushed voice.

"Daniel… you're the Hulk." Daniel answered quietly.

"Daniel, can you make your way over here? I want to make sure that you're not too hurt." Bruce asked.

Daniel slowly made his way over to the man, collapsing in front of him. He felt large, callused hands gently lift his head up and set his head on Bruce's knee. He winced at every touch in pain.

"I'm sorry. I'm not meaning to hurt you, but I just want to make sure." Bruce apologized.

"Make sure what?" Daniel asked.

"That you won't have brain damage from that beating. I can tell that you have a minor concussion though." Bruce explained.

"My head hurts." Daniel whined.

"I know, buddy. I know, but on the bright side, you won't get brain damage." Bruce soothed.

He started finger combing Daniel's hair, humming a soft tune. Daniel sighed in content, and he started to relax, feeling the most safe he'd ever had in his life. Daniel snuggled into Bruce, listening to the soft heartbeat. Bruce gently pulled Daniel onto his lap, sending soothing vibes towards the boy.

"I hope the Avengers hurry. I don't think I can save this kid from the big guy." he thought to himself.

with the Avenger and Voltron party

"How do we even know where we're going?" Lance asked.

"Bruce had feared that Hulk would take off and cause harm, so he put a tracer on himself." Captain America explained.

"And HYDRA probably Daniel to the same place they took Bruce." Keith said.

"We're about to be there in three minutes." Black Widow reported.

"I just hope they're alright." Allura said worriedly.

"It's Daniel. You know he'll still fight them even if he's backed against a wall with his arms tied. I'm sure the runt's fine." Lance said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Keith gave a small smile, knowing that Daniel actually did do that once, and he beat Larmina surprisingly.