Stephen Rogers

The Avengers have assembled into their situation room with Steve leading the discussion about the current threat. There were news reports of a female using magic, stealing things around the world, always the same description: female, brunette, tight clothes, black cloak. And the stuff she was stealing? Graveyard dirt, chicken bones, banishing oil, dragon’s blood, and an Agimat.

“Agimat?” Tony asks.

Wanda stands up and starts to speak, “Agimat is a magical amulet from the Philippines and it has supernatural powers usually used to save lives; however, with everything else on this list it seems that this woman is playing with dark magic.

“So, when did we start chasing thieves?” Tony asks.

“When the thief looks like this,” Steve points to a picture that he just put up on the projector, “and because I remember her standing with Red Skull during WWII. She is a very power witch.”

“Anyone know why she has suddenly resurfaced?” Sam asks.

“No, but it can’t be good,” says Steve. “Tony, Bruce, work with Wanda and find out what can be done with these ingredients. Sam, Bucky, we’re on recon. Let’s go.”

Before they even get up to leave the doors flew open and in floats the same woman as in the picture. She’s waving her hands and speaking an unknown language. Suddenly there’s a flash of light and she’s gone. Everyone looks at each other, but Steve is laying on the ground, unconscious, looking pale, and visibly smaller. Sam and Bucky run to his side, shaking him and yelling, trying to wake him up.

Bruce rushed over but couldn’t look him over because Sam and Bucky were in the way. Tony had to step in, and with a loud voice, while pulling on Sam, said, ”MOVE! Let Bruce get to Steve!” Sam and Bucky stood up and gave Bruce room to work.

“Everybody outside,” Tony orders. Slowly, they all begin to leave, Sam and Bucky are the last ones. Tony has to push them to start moving towards the doors. Tony closes the door behind them as he leaves.

Steve has been brought up to his room once Bruce gave the OK to move him. Once Steve is laying in his bed sleeping, Bruce comes out of his room and closes the door as he walks into the hall. Everyone has been waiting just outside the door for any news. Same and Bucky speak at the same time, speaking over each other.

“How is he?

What happened?

Speak to me.

Is he going to be OK?”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!” Tony yells, then says to Bruce, “Banner, how’s Steve?”

Bruce takes a deep breath, then speaks. “I’m not sure what happened, but Steve seems to have reverted back to his pre-serum body,” he pauses as he sees the sadness in Sam and Bucky’s eyes, “illnesses and all.” They all look at each other, clearly distraught.

Sam is shaking his head, repeating “No, no, no…” over and over again. Bucky has sunken unto a chair, tears in his eyes and slowly shaking his head back and forth. He looks broken. Steve has reverted to his pre-serum body and illnesses: astigmatism, scoliosis, partial deafness, arrhythmia, stomach ulcers and asthma.

Bruce and Tony nod to each other and then Tony says, “OK, Banner, what does he need? Get me a list. Wanda, can you research this and try to find an antidote?”

Bruce and Wanda both answer, “On it!” Bruce heads towards the lab and Wanda heads towards the library.

“Sam, Bucky,” Tony turns toward them, and they are still in a state of shock. “Just sit there and worry, and I’ll search for this witch.” Sam and Bucky remain in the hall, still in shock as Tony heads towards his lab.

While everyone one is working, Steve is coming around. Bucky and Sam are sitting in his room, silently, waiting for him to wake up. As Steve wakes up, he looks at Bucky and then at Sam and then says, “Geez, who died?”

Sam and Bucky both jump to their feet and rush to his side, asking how he’s feeling and asking what he needs. Steve has a confused look on his face, he still does not know what has happened. Sam starts to talk but Bucky shoots him a look and shakes his head. Steve stands up and notices his clothes are loose on him. He looks at Bucky and asks him what’s going on. Just then, Bruce walks in. “Steve, you might want to sit down.” As he explains to Steve what happened, and how Steve has reverted to his pre-serum body, Steve gets a look of shock on his face and sits on the bed. “You’ll have take some medications as well as start treatments for your scoliosis and arrhythmia.”

At this point, Steve looks at Sam and Bucky and decides to keep things as normal as possible. Hopefully, this will calm down Sam and Bucky.

Over the next couple of weeks, Steve is now wearing glasses. He tried contacts and couldn’t get a hold of it. And he carries around a puffer for his asthma. On and off, you hear Tony harassing Steve to take his medication.

“I can’t follow you around all day making sure you take these,” says Tony.

“Then don’t,” yells Steve.

Bruce is constantly taking Steve aside after these arguments and explaining how he needs to take these meds on time and every day. Steve becomes frustrated because he finds it difficult to add these into his routine. But he promises he is trying.

After a couple of weeks, Sam and Bucky have tracked down the witch, and Tony and Steve found out that her name is Morgan LeFey, who also goes by the Black Knight. She is an enchantress who can manipulate events across space and time. Everyone starts gearing up, when suddenly Steve walks in and says, “I think I may have to have this remade?” They all look at him in his Captain America suit, which is a bit big on him.

Tony speaks, “That doesn’t matter because you’re not coming.”

Bruce, Sam and Wanda all chime in with their agreement with Tony reminding Steve he no longer has the strength and speed of Captain America and that he should stay behind.

And then Bucky speaks up, “Actually, he’s never backed down from a fight the whole time I’ve known him, before or after the serum. He may not have the speed and strength you’re all used to, but he can still keep his own.”

Steve smiles at Bucky, and Bucky slaps his shoulder and nods. Although everyone is clearly worried about letting Steve come along, they all agree with Tony adding, “If you get hurt, you get behind one of us.” And they all leave to find and confront the Black Knight.

During the fight with the Black Knight, Steve gets hurt: a gunshot to his side, through and through. Bucky and Bruce rush to his side. Bruce patches him up and then Bucky rushes him back to the compound. The rest of the team captures Black Knight and brings her back to the compound for questioning. They find out that she was sent by Red Skull to kill Steve, and that she won’t be the last one he sends. But that is all that they can get from her, so they lock her in a cell.

A week later, Wanda comes running to Steve excitedly as she has found a way to reverse Black Knight’s spell. She sends Bucky and Sam to pick up what she needs to perform the spell.

The next day Bruce examines Steve to make sure he’s healing properly before he allows any magic to be used on him. Wanda then performs the spell and, again, a big blast of light knocks Steve on the ground and unconscious. Everyone gathers around, and it is clearly visible that she has reversed the spell. Steve’s pants are too short and tight around the thighs; his shirt has ripped on his arms from his muscles and his abdomen is showing a bit because his shirt is now too short for him.

Steve wakes up within a few minutes this time. Sam and Bucky help him to his feet. Tony looks at Steve and says, “I just want to say I dig the retro look."

Steve fakes a laugh then says, “Funny. OK, we need to find out where Red Skull is.”

And they all head to their respective research areas.