"i'm sorry Tony. but we can't risk it." he admitted. "i should be back by tomorrow. but i will be here for the weekend." he promised, kissing Tony deeply. "now. be good, okay?" he asked with a smile before heading out to meet Phil and Clint for his mission. "it'll be fine Tony." he promised. "Steve Phil and Clint? nothing can beat them." he promised with a smile.
but when a full twenty four hours went past, and there had been no word from anyone. well, that was troubling. very troubling. when forty eight hours went by and no word had come, they began to worry. when Friday arrived and no word had come. well, it was taking James everything he had not to go and find him himself. Saturday arrived, and Jarvis suddenly intoned. "Sirs. there has been a phone call from Director Coulson. they are in immediate need of assistance. all three are in critical, but not life threatening condition. he asks for immediate deployment of all Avengers and Shield agents available." Jarvis intoned. Bruce was already gathering his medical kit and went ahead with Loki to stabilize them and called them once he got there and said that the whole thing had, apparently, been a trap. a trap that Steve had completely obliterated. by the time the rest of them got there, there was nothing left of the compound save for fifty bodies of what looked like children. all of them heavily scarred and growing things that humans weren't supposed to grow. there was also a good hundred Hydra agents, all dead, and only one child still alive and huddled up next to Steve Rogers, who was sitting up on his own, arm in a sling. the child was completely covered in a blanket and Steve was talking calmly to, er. it. he himself was missing his shirt, showing that he hadn't been battling Hydra, but rather the two massive lizard like beasts that where laying dead off by themselves. "Tony! James! i'm sorry i wasn't home for the weekend..." he apologized, hesitating before wrapping an arm around the child who was completely covered. "this is Adam... he's... going to be coming with us." he explained, eyes pleading with Tony to not raise a fuss. "no one else is... equipped, to handle him."