The sleepy town of Lochester wasn't known for much. Not too many knew that it was home to a hospital chock-full of high-tech gadgets and staff members who were among the best in their field. Those who did know about it would tell you that the hospital also had a peculiar guard and an resident smartass (both kinds of resident.)
The said peculiar guard had just nailed the said resident smartass right on the back of his head with a small pebble. (There were a lot of pebbles near the entrance to Avengers Medical.) The doctor's cry of pain was enough to plaster a self-satisfied smirk on the his face.
"Barton! That's the third pebble today! Just wait till Dr. Romanoff hears about this. She's going to get you."
Dr. Romanoff! Ha! That little bastard thought Romanoff would do something about the pebbles. Hell, she was so heartless, it seemed to get colder whenever she walked into a room.
"You sure about that, Stark? The last thing Nat needs is a resident at a top-notch hospital whining about some stupid rock!"
"What's going on here, boys? Care to explain?"
Yikes. Just what they needed, Maria Hill. The receptionist's demeanor rivaled that of Romanoff's in terms of coldness.
"Officer Barton threw another pebble at me, Ms. Hill. He just won't stop!" Tony wailed like a five-year-old. No, that would be an understatement. That guy was more immature than a little kid.
Hill seemed unfazed. "Oh, is that so? Well, I bet you could ask Barton to apologize for being naughty, right? Then you two can get along and be friends." Maria said the last sentence in an eerily sing-songy voice and walked away.
After she disappeared through a door, Tony muttered, "She scares me sometimes."
"Well that makes two of us." Clint threw another pebble at Tony. Not that she would be able to change his mind about throwing rocks.
Just then, Clint noticed several figures approaching the building. Very dirty, very bloody figures. Too bloody for his own liking, anyway. What can I say? It's part of my job. Clint thought to himself as he touched his finger to his ear comm.
Officer Barton reporting. We've got a couple people coming our way. They look pretty beat.
Dr. Fury's voice replied. How many?
Looks like, uh, three. Yup, three, no wait, four bloody patient-to-be's, coming right up.
Barton! This is a serious matter. Listen, I've got Rogers and Banner going over to join the welcoming committee. Got it?
I thought we weren't supposed to make jokes. Clint let out a sigh. Roger that.
"Really, Officer Barton? That was some pathetic joke." Clint turned around to face the two men who had been sent to him. "Try better next time. And without my name, please."
"Roger that. Now, let's go save some lives!" Clint overenthusiastically chirped and began running to the injured people.
"Officer Barton!"