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SHIELD Headquarters, New York, 09:18am
"Romanoff!...Barton!"
Maria Hill barked from the balcony above one of the meeting rooms. "Fury's office in 10," she added before exiting through the sliding doors.
"Sassy today, aren't we?" Clint muttered under his breath as he sat casually on one of the swivel chairs planted around the circular table.
"Hill is one of the big guns around here now, Clint, ever since..." Natasha hesitated, her voice lowering. Clint raised his eyes to her, knowing exactly what she was going to say, and mentally completed her sentence.
Phil Coulson.
"She's just doing her job," Natasha finished, clearing her throat with a forced cough. She tried to put the death of their colleague and friend to the back of her mind.
It had been over a year since Loki's attack and wounds were still taking time to heal. Natasha stretched her legs out under the table to make herself comfortable in the chair.
"She could be a little more polite," Clint replied quickly. "We've been called in here for a favour for Fury, a little respect wouldn't go amiss."
"Your feelings hurt, Clint?" she teased playfully.
"Indeed, I'm deeply wounded," he replied jokingly, feigning injury.
Natasha took his hand in her own and squeezed his fingers gently. "What do you think he wants?"
"Maybe he just misses us?" Clint shrugged playfully in response. "Maybe he misses our bickering and horseplay." Clint's cheeky grin soon disappeared when he noticed Natasha's weary glare. He sensed her anxiety and attempted to calm her. "Hey, I'm sure it's nothing, right? Maybe he has finally decided to give us his blessing after all this time," he reassured giving her hand a squeeze back.
Fury hadn't exactly been 'supportive' of their relationship through the years.
"We should get going," she declared, moving out of the chair and straightening her back as she stood.
Clint took in his partner's appearance as Natasha rose to her feet. Her flaming red hair fell lightly around her shoulders, embellishing her entrancing features. She was wearing her khaki cargo pants and a loose fitting black t-shirt that gripped her bulging abdomen. She rested her right hand easily on top of the rounded bump and moved away from the table. Clint reached for her left hand and they sauntered casually through the corridors to Fury's office.
"Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton," Fury greeted. "It's been a while since I planted my eyes on both of you. How are you two fairing?"
Clint's eyes narrowed unconsciously. "Fine, sir..we're all keeping well."
Natasha pulled her gaze from Fury to scan his blackened office windows. "What's this about, sir?" she asked, flitting her eyes back to the Director.
Fury huffed reluctantly, "We best get down to it then."
Clint eyed the man suspiciously, panic rising in his gut. "What's going on?" he asked as fisted his hands into balls, willing the lump that formed in his throat to disappear.
"At 0200 hours this morning, we received intel from a reliable source in Moscow about a target that has been on one of our kill lists for some years now. Our source tell us that this target is planning an operation to infiltrate and compromise our SHIELD bases in the US. Our source also informed us that they have sent out a hit on one of our very own," Fury stated coldly.
Both Natasha and Clint soaked in this new information. "Who's the target?" Clint demanded impatiently.
Natasha took a step back, almost winded by her sudden realisation, her instincts confirming the worst. "They're after me."
Clint swiftly turned his head to look directly at his partner. "What?..What do you mean they're after you?"
"Dixon," she breathed out, the thought of him almost sucking the breath out of her. Fury nodded sharply, confirming her suspicions.
Liev Dixon, later known as Igor Kirov, was a former Soviet officer turned crime lord of the criminal underworld in Moscow. Natasha encountered Dixon while she was working as an assassin for hire after she broke away from the Red Room. She had been hired to kill one of Dixon's associates, a man who owed him a substantial amount of money, they would later discover. She succeeded in her mission, infiltrating her target's team and eliminating the mark. To Dixon's displeasure, he never received the substantial sum and held a grudge against the assassin who took out his debtor.
Years after Clint recruited her into SHIELD, almost a year into their partnership, the two assassins were sent to Munich to take out Igor Kirov. He had become a blip on the agency's radar after he struck a lucrative deal with the Russian Mafia. Natasha had some inclination who they had been sent to kill but the unfamiliar name threw her off the scent and so she ignored her instincts and continued with the mission. Clint and Natasha infiltrated Dixon's warehouse only to be ambushed by his henchmen. The two assassins were subdued and captured for interrogation.
Clint stopped, still in his tracks. "That bastard," he growled. "How..how could this happen?..Natasha's been out of commission for months! No one should know about our situation," he signed and paused for a moment. Fear flashed across his eyes, "Does he know that she's pregnant? Does he know that she's eight months along?" Clint rambled, pointing to Natasha's prominent bump.
"I can't confirm that Barton, but from what we have gathered, he probably already knows that information," Fury replied calmly. Natasha's anxiety worsened and she spun around and began pacing, thoughts whirring through her head.
Clint scrubbed a hand down his face, trying to gather his thoughts. "So, what's the plan?" he asked impatiently.
"We've organised for you two to lay low in South America. We have a safe house set up there where you can stay until all of this blows over and we find the bastard behind this," he paused. "We want you two to stay as close as possible to us without actually being in the country...we couldn't exactly send you to one of our safe houses in Europe," he added flatly. "Your flight leaves at 1500 hours this afternoon."
"How long are you planning on keeping us there?" Natasha demanded.
"As long as it takes," Fury stated matter-of-factly.
"Well I can't wait for 'as long as it takes', sir," she replied, rubbing absently at her enlarged abdomen.
"We know this is a delicate topic for you two," Fury said calmly. "But this is all we can muster up since we got the call this morning. You're better off out of the country for the time being while we sort this out."
Natasha turned her back to the two men and stared at the blackened windows again.
Warehouse basement, Munich, Germany, September 2008
"Clint..." Natasha murmured, trying to rouse her fatigue-ridden partner. Her ribs ached at her subtle movements.
Clint was sitting on the ground across from her with his back to the grungy wall, his hands bound above his head by chains attached to a steel bar on the wall. His head was lowered, chin almost touching his chest.
"Clint..hey, no sleeping on the job, remember?" she said, a little urgency filtering through her voice. He failed to reply.
"Clint!" she barked impatiently from where she sat, bound and slouched in the same position Clint was.
"Mmm," was all he could manage as he raised his head a little, trying to blink away the foggy dew that spotted his vision.
"You can't fall asleep, okay?...You need to stay with me." Natasha tried to sit up straight but her cracked ribs and beaten and bloodied wrist protested. Another fracture to add to her chart in SHIELD medical.
Clint blinked forcefully, finally driving the hazy fog away. He blew out a breath. "Coulson will get us, Nat..He'll be here soon."
Natasha wanted to believe him, she wanted to with all her might, but after the last few days the hope in her soul was starting to dwindle. They had been ambushed by Dixon's men, beaten into submission, and thrown to rot in this godforsaken dungeon for what seemed like weeks. But it had only been two days. Time ran slowly and she knew that Clint was running out of time. The injuries he sustained were slowly sucking the life force out of him.
She craned her neck slightly to get a better look at the archer across from her. "Clint, how's that wound doing?"
While being interrogated by Dixon's bodyguard, Clint had given the same old shtick he always offered gladly in these dire situations. For his trouble, the burly bodyguard picked up a rusty screwdriver that had been left on the floor of the underground bunker and mercilessly plunged it into Clint's side.
That was yesterday. This was today.
Clint had lost a lot of blood in the meantime, the puncture wound leaked crimson fluid freely onto his trousers and continued to spread across his torso. It seeped into the thin fabric of his grey t-shirt. A pool of blood now lay beneath him. His face had become pale white, highlighting his lethargy. Infection was probably starting to settle in. If only she could reach him to put some pressure on the wound and somehow curb the steady flow.
"Still bleeding, Nat.." he replied, meeting her worried eyes with his own exhausted ones.
"All right, okay.." she soothed, trying to hide the panic rising in her throat. She paused for a short moment and thought. "Any luck with those chains?"
"No, I can't...I've tried...my hands won't co-operate.." he replied with a groan, rustling his restraints. He coughed forcefully, clearing his throat, and took in Natasha's form.
"How're you holding up?" He cocked his head towards her. "Nasty cut you got there," he acknowledged, referring to the laceration that Natasha was sporting just above her hairline, courtesy of the guy who had knocked her out.
"It's fine, nothing that a few butterfly bandages wouldn't mend," she replied with a smile, hoping to lighten the situation slightly.
Clint chuckled softly, appreciating her attempts to lighten the mood. "Coulson is coming...We'll be out of here in no time," he reminded, willing her not to lose hope.
"I know he is Clint," she smiled, reassuring him that she was still in the fight, that she hadn't given up hope. Coulson hadn't given up on them. Their stubborn as a mule colleague would never give up on his two assassins.
Clint smiled in return and looked towards the bolted door, longing for Coulson to bustle through and save their asses. He blinked sluggishly as another wave of fatigue hit him. He swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the creeping blackness. He could feel himself starting to pass out again.
Natasha took note of his shallow breathing and spoke up, breaking the weighty silence, "Hey..eyes on me, bird boy."
SHIELD Headquarters, New York, Present day
"We understand," Clint responded, nodding on behalf of his partner. "We don't have much of a choice either way."
Fury nodded in agreement. Clint stepped forward and eyed Fury cautiously, lowering his voice, hoping that Natasha wouldn't hear.
"If anything happens to either one of the two most important things in my life, it'll be your head on the line, Director," he warned and paused, "after I kill Dixon myself."
Fury stared back at Clint for a lasting moment, slightly surprised at the archer's threatening tone. "I have my best teams already out there, Barton...We're gonna get the guy who is planning this...trust me."
Clint nodded in return and Fury lifted his eyes to Natasha's glowing figure. It was almost like their little exchange never happened. He didn't take Clint's warning personally, he knew that the agent was terrified for his partner, his family.
"Agent Romanoff, I wish you the best of luck...with everything."
Natasha knew that Fury was referring to their impending arrival, knowing he wouldn't admit it outwardly. "Thank you, sir," she replied in humble appreciation.
She admired the man in leather, however cantankerous he was at times. Fury had always gone to great lengths for his agents, sometimes over-stepping rules, regulations and foreign borders to ensure their safety. Natasha applauded the man for his determined and fearless nature. It was one of the reasons he was appointed Director of SHIELD.
Fury moved his eyes back to Clint, who was still stood directly in front of him. He cocked his head and spoke almost in a whisper. "Barton," he sucked in a quick breath, "keep them safe."
Clint nodded his head in understanding and turned to leave the Director's office. Taking Natasha by the hand, the two exited the office swiftly.
End of Chapter 1
Hope you guys enjoyed that...a little something to whet the appetite.
:D
