Give Life Meaning...

Secrets

     They had found the staff. Finally, after it being gone for so long, the Avengers had managed to track it down. "Everyone knows their roles," Steve said through com, glancing around briefly to pinpoint where his teammates were. Red hair caught his eyes, and he grinned just a bit before turning his eyes back to their path. He gunned his motorcycle ahead reaching behind him to grab his shield and threw it at the emerging guns that were set to defend the base. They didn't have time for that, gritting his teeth as the ground around them practically turned to mulch with the spray of bullets. "Clint! Find some sort of cover and begin taking these guys down." He took a chance to count the heads of his teammates. 

     "JARVIS found me a weak spot, I've taken down the forcefield. I'm in, I suggest you guys hurry," the sound of Tony Stark startled Steve as he launched himself off of his motorcycle and launched it at a group of men. His goal was never to necessarily kill them, but if his motorcycle did, well, not much he could do about it. 

     "I got your back Cap," Natasha called, taking down a few men who managed to circle behind, her side grin making him smile back. "Go on now, we've got these suckers." Her voice was just a bit breathless as they fought against the wave of men that seemed to be at the base. Weeks of study didn't show anywhere near as much intel as it should have. Once Steve was out of sight a sharp cry broke through the haze of screams. 

     "Clint!" Her heart stopped at the sound, she ran through the bullets and dropped to her knees as she assessed the wound. "I need help, Clint's down guys. Clint is down. Please-" A bullet landed a few inches away from her digging a sharp groove into the ground. "Can someone get that bunker please?" A roar sliced through the air as it was destroyed and she let out a weak thank you. She gazed down at her oldest friend, reaching out with slender hands she brushed back his hair. "He's pretty bad guys. I need help getting him to the jet." 

     "I got him," Thor, the god of Thunder called as he landed a short few feet away and picked Clint up to take him back to the jet. They still had a mission to complete and with the defenses down she could only hope it would be quick. 

     Steve heard Tony report that he found the staff but he heard something peculiar about the base. The lower level had another set of stairs and he could hear what sounded like sniffling. There was someone crying, someone small, his gut clenched. Moving down the stairs quietly he put the shield out front to block any possible oncoming bullets. It could be a trap but something told him it wasn't. There was secrets down there but it wasn't going to be an attack. 

     "I've got the sceptor, Rogers do you copy?" Tony crackled in his ear but he was holding his breath as he reached a door and carefully pressed it open. 

     "Steve? Steve do you copy?" Natasha's voice floated through his ear, less forceful but bordering concern. He wanted to respond but his breath caught at the sight of two small children huddled in the corner. They were both dirty, their clothes were nothing more than shabby hospital like gowns and their hair long and matted. 

     "I found kids," he finally responded, finding his voice and stopped in the door frame as two heads turned his way in the dim room. He couldn't make out much of their features underneath the grime but one child was significantly smaller but quiet. The bigger child, though still awfully small, stayed huddled against the wall sniffling, he could also see one had light brown hair, or what appeared to be light brown hair. The other most definitely had blonde hair. Despite being dirty the others blonde hair very clearly stood out among the grime. "Hey kids." He bent down to their level so he wasn't so imposing, Steve waffled for a few seconds trying to figure out how to get them to trust him. It was clear neither one was jumping for joy at his presence. 

     "Cap, we're going to need you to hurry up. Clint was hurt bad and we need to get him back to the compound. Can you grab them?" Tony called through, sounding as stressed as Steve was feeling at the moment. 

     "I'm not going to hurt you... You guys look like you're hungry, and would like food," that seemed to catch both of their attention. Did Hydra not feed them? What were they doing with two kids? Steve held out his hand and he watched as the smaller of the two took a step forward and looked back grabbing the others hand. Upon closer inspection the smaller one was a girl, she had more delicate features than her bigger counterpart. She was taking charge of the situation and dragged the other until they were closer. Steve put the shield on his back and wrapped his arms around the two noticing that they shivered. "It'll be okay, I promise. I've got you." He stood up swiftly and made his way back to the jet wishing he had something to wrap them in. 

     It was clear that whatever they were there for it wasn't in the best interest of the children. In the fading sun he could see just how paper thin their gowns were and the grime they were covered in was in layers. He could see that the little girls feet was bloodied, and so was her little hands. The other was sturdier looking, but he seemed to be less injured than his sister counterpart. They both buried their faces in his chest as he crossed the cold ground and got onto the jet. "I'm sorry-"

     "Kids? Those are babies," Clint groaned, his face pale and sweaty as he turned his head to look at the man who entered the jet. There was a round of agreements and Natasha left his side to approach Steve and the two little ones. 

     "Hey there sweethearts, aren't you two precious," Natasha cooed, heartbreaking at the condition they were in. She looked into Steve's worried blue eyes and smiled half-heartedly as her hand reached and touched the back of each of their heads. It looked like they had been there long enough to show obvious neglect. 

     "Do we have anything they could eat? They definitely need water," Steve said, he wasn't all that familiar with kids but everyone needed water and he wasn't sure when the last time the two of them had any. His mind didn't recollect seeing any kind of water container in the dim cell they were in but that hadn't meant much. Steve knew his focus was entirely on the two tiny beings that suddenly depended on him for survival. What if he hadn't heard them? They would have slowly died in that dirty room. He was brought out of his inner musings by Natasha placing her hand on his arm. 

     "We can split a protein bar, see if they'll eat any, and then coax them into drinking water. Sit down Cap, and I'll help you," Natasha went to work and found the protein bars they kept around in case they were starving. The little girl with green eyes watched warily as Natasha broke off a small piece and held it out to her. At first, she balked before leaning forward and taking it from her hands by mouth before letting out a hum of approval. "Do you like that?" Natasha smiled as she finished with the young girl, and then turned her attention to the boy. The boy hadn't removed his face from his new position in Steve's neck. They were both so scared. 

     "What about you? Aren't you hungry?" Natasha coaxed but was only met with stony silence until the blonde girl reached out and took the piece. She thought for a moment the little girl would eat it but she turned towards the boy and held it out. The light brown-haired boy took the hint and took the piece with his grimy little hand. The little girl was handed pieces, and then she handed them to the boy. They both drank water and then before Natasha knew it they were curled up against Steve's chest sleeping soundly. "Awe, aren't you three adorable? Looks like you have companions Rogers." She went over and got a blanket and brought it back to cover the two. She made sure the two were tucked in warmly, smiling as Steve fussed with the blankets. 

     "They're going to need looked over and cleaned up when we get back... Then we're going to have to look for their parents," his heart flipped painfully in his chest at the idea that these two were ripped away from their parents or worse just given to Hydra. Steve adjusted his hold on the two slowly, and with the help of Natasha had them both reclining in his arms rather than just upright on his chest. "Are you all right Nat? You were out in the open when Clint was hurt... Did any bullets get you?" 

     "I'm fine Steve, really, it was a bit touch and go but no bullets even grazed me," her green eyes twinkled at his concern before reaching over and cupping the children's faces. "If you hadn't.." 

     "I know," Steve responded simply, looking down at the two tiny souls in his arms. Heart hammering at the thought of whatever they must have had to go through.