Copyright: Marvel and Avengers Assemble (Molecule Kid).
You know, we had all of the solo films where somewhere in the movie, Nick Fury or Agent Coulson appeared and said something about recruiting them. Well, that was for Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and even Captain America. But have you always wondered how Clint and Natasha got recruited? Well, I was watching an episode of Avengers Assemble and I thought to myself, this would be a good story on how Clint and Natasha got recruited for The Avengers Initiative.
I figured for them, this happened after Natasha's events in Iron Man 2 and after Clint's events in Thor. And obviously, before The Avengers.
Avengers Initiative Recruitment : Hawkeye and Black Widow
After his assignment in New Mexico, SHIELD has given one of their top agents, Clint Barton who also goes by the alias, Hawkeye, a day off. He was back in New York in time for the street carnival. Even though it was filled with children wanting to in roller coasters, he was more into the bottle games. Of course, with his perfect aim, he always managed to knock them over in one whiff.
"And you see kids," he started as he turned around and saw a group of kids forming around him. Their little eyes filled with awe. "That's how I got the name Hawkeye."
As he got the prize, he simply threw the stuffed animal in top of his pile of prizes he's already won. He casually put on his sunglasses and walked away.
"Knock yourself out kids." He told them pointing to the pile of stuffed animals. "I don't want them."
As he turned a corner, a rope wrapped around him and yanked him on the roof of the carnival booth. He stumbled on the roof as the rope managed to unravel away itself. Clint measly turned around and saw that Russian spy he secretly missed. Her red curls seemed shorter than when he last saw her. But her body still looked intact in that black spandex suit.
"He's back." Natasha stated as her rope got called back in her utility belt.
"I missed you too." Clint replied being sly about her sudden call. "But who's back?"
"Molecule Man."
"Molecule Man?" Clint asked going through a sudden flashback. "Last time molecule man came to town, he almost left with it too. His wand could change any molecule into any other kind of molecule. Wasn't exactly a good power for a good person either. But thanks for my expert shot, we never had to worry about that power falling into anyone's hands. You have to tell Stark. I'm not stupid Natasha, I know you just came back from your undercover mission about him."
"This goes no farther than us." She firmly stated. "Director Fury confirmed that."
"That's not my way." Clint said walking away.
Natasha used her extension rope and tied it around her ankle. She yanked the rope and knocked Clint over so he landed on his back. Natasha pounced on top of him with her face so close to his that her short curls were brushing on his face.
"You listen to me Barton." She said in an almost threatening tone. "We're doing it my way. Our mission is to secure the tech. Tech that Fury thought was destroyed. Tech that Fury wants us to secure. Tech that Fury thinks would be too dangerous in the hands of an inventor with curiosity like Stark."
"All I'm saying is that Stark's going to be peeved when he finds out."
"If we're doing it my way, Stark will never find out. Now, suit up and let's move."
OoOoOoOoOo
Now suited up, Clint and Natasha were running through the rooftops of New York. Jumping across, Clint was following Natasha since she seemed to know where she was going. It felt like old times where they would do missions together before Director Fury made them go separate across the country. He liked it. And by the way Natasha looked, she seemed much more comfortable working with her partner again.
"Do you have Molecule Man's cell number?" Clint asked her. "Or are we supposed to search every city street for him?"
"SHIELD has a lead on him." Natasha replied as she jumped above him and started running across rows of pipes as Clint ran under. "If you don't like my strategy then I can do this myself."
"Touchy... I can joke, take a mission seriously and ace it at the same time."
Clint made it to the edge of the roof where he couldn't jump across. So he pulled out an arrow and was about to use it to swing across. But before he could shoot it, Natasha jumped in front of him and took the arrow to swing herself across.
"Thanks." She said to him.
On the next rooftop, they looked over and had a grounds view of civilians walking around casually. Clint noticed Natasha stopped so he assumed this was where SHIELD's lead was.
"Totally knew you would do that." He said as Natasha scanned the street.
"There." She said pointing at a guy wearing a dark green sweater.
Clint moaned. "Romanoff, I could have done this in my sleep." He raised his bow and pointed an arrow at the guy. "One knockout and I'm back to winning stuffed animals at the carnival."
Natasha kicked away his arrow.
"Hey!" Clint interrupted.
"Are you crazy?!" She asked. "He's carrying extremely dangerous cargo. We have to secure it before -"
They noticed the guy taking a quick glance behind him and running away.
"- before that?" Clint asked.
OoOoOoOoOo
They began jumping more rooftops in order to catch him. They were both attempting to catch or hopefully outrun him.
"How did we get busted?" Clint asked. "Because it certainly wasn't me."
"Oh sure." Natasha replied sarcastically. "You talking at loud volume wasn't obvious either. Amateur."
"Don't yell at me, Super Spy. You weren't asked for The Avengers Initiative!"
"Neither were you, Master Marksman!"
The guy ran into an alleyway where he was automatically covered by special agents in distinctive yellow suits. They had their weapons prepped as Clint and Natasha watched from above.
"AIM Agents..." Natasha muttered in disgrace. "That's what he's running from."
Once the guy was cornered, he pulled the wand out of his hoodie's pocket and held it up.
"You're not taking my dad's wand!" He exclaimed.
"Dad?" Clint and Natasha both asked in confusion. He was just a kid. Molecule Man was certainly an adult when they last saw him. But they didn't know he had a kid.
Meanwhile, the kid pointed the wand at a pipe and turned it into a bunch of balls to knock over the AIM agents. He then swiped the wand over the buildings around him and was turning them into a substance similar to quicksand. Including the building the two assassins were standing on. As they both started sinking, Natasha grabbed Clint's waist as he raised he bow in the air. He struggled to put an arrow in it since he was sinking faster than hoped. Once his head was completely underneath, he placed the arrow in his bow and shot the arrow. To his luck, it snagged something. It pulled Clint and Natasha to a railing above them. They both watched the AIM Agents below stumble in the goop. As the kid tried to escape, he noticed that him, himself got stuck in his own disaster.
"Look at him, a whole bunch of power in his hands and he can't even use it." Clint scoffed. "Iron Man would be pretty useful right now."
"For the hundredth time, I told you that Fury doesn't want the wand in anyone's hands." Natasha replied being annoyed of him. "Especially Mr. Stark's."
"If I was in charge, I would ignore Fury."
Natasha watched as a small platform flew above the AIM Agents and pulled them out. It helped them fly around the scene and Natasha had a new idea. Natasha pounced on it like a jungle cat and kicked the AIM Agent back in the goop below. She was now in control.
"This wand belongs to my father." The kid exclaimed as he used the wand to make the goop around him into a large, rising crater. "There's no way you're getting it from me!"
Clint watched as Natasha was flying closer to the kid. She was so close until the kid pointed the wand at her and disintegrated her ride. Natasha jumped off hoping to snag the kid but she was still to far and landed in the goop below. The kids turned his crater into a long straight platform and ran off. Clint looked at the kid and back at Natasha who was struggling to move around. He attached an arrow and shimmied down to help the RedHead and extended his hand.
"You know, you got goo in your hair, your eyes, ears and face..." He stated.
"I hate you Barton." Natasha stated as she pressed a button on her Widow's Bite. A rope lowered towards her. Clint looked up and saw some type of flying car above him. Natasha grabbed the rope and hoisted herself up.
"No you don't." Clint smirked as he invited himself in Natasha's ride.
OoOoOoOoOo
As the kid continued raising the roads to create his own path, Natasha and Clint were on his trail in her flying car.
Clint stood up and pointed his bow with an arrow in it at the kid. "Permission to shoot?" He asked.
"Permission to stop talking and start shooting granted." Natasha smartly replied.
The kid turned around as Clint shot the arrow. The kid pointed his wand at the upcoming arrow and made it disappear.
"You don't get it!" He yelled. "I have his power now! I'm not afraid to use it!"
Natasha kept on swerving avoiding the kid's shot. Clint tumbled around and almost got airsick.
"Where did you learn to drive?" He asked rhetorically. "Video games?! And have you ever thought of what to do if that kid turns us into sausages?"
"I see you more as a hot dog." Natasha said as she stood up. "And the wand can't control organic matter."
"What are you doing?!" Clint exclaimed as he watched her pounce on the front of the car.
"Take the wheel!" She began shooting at the kid as the car drove straight. They were heading towards the kid. Natasha looked in shock as the wand got rid if her bullets. "Turn!"
Before Clint could turn, the kid used the wand to raise a platform that made the car flip. The car kept on flipping until it smashed into a billboard. The kid then used the wand to make the cars into molecules and basically transported them underneath him to make his little tower.
"Whoever you are, leave me alone!" The kid yelled.
"Uh, we're SHIELD." Clint responded. "The actual good guys." He turned to Natasha and hoped she had something better. "Question, how are you with kids?"
Natasha distressfully grunted. "Listen kid, playtime is over! Just hand us the wand!"
"Question answered." Clint muttered to himself. "Not so good."
"AIM, SHIELD, you're all the same!" The kid ranted. He pointed the wand at the billboard they were at and turned it into sand that plummeted to the ground.
Clint and Natasha started running towards his tower of cars and began climbing up towards the kid. Clint looked over and noticed a truck hovering up. He jumped up and snagged a ride to the top.
"See you there." Clint boasted with a salute.
The kid pointed his want at the truck Clint was on and disintegrated it. He began falling until Natasha grabbed his arm and caught him.
"добро пожаловать." She stated in Russian as she swung him up.
"What's that?" He asked.
"It's Russian for 'you're welcome'."
Once they made it to the top of the car pile, the kid was running on his little path of raised road. Clint and Natasha began running to get hot on his trail.
"Stop!" Natasha commanded. But like every other kid, they ignored their elders.
"I get it, you're scared." Clint said trying to reason with him. "But let us help you."
The kid, frustrated, turned around while he was running and pointed the wand at the path behind him. He turned the path into ice which made Clint and Natasha glide for a bit.
"Help me like you helped my dad?" The boy asked rhetorically. "Send me away like you did to him? You just want to take what everyone else wants from me."
"Kid has a point." Clint stated. Natasha turned around and glared at him.
The kid pointed the wand at them. They both dodged realizing that they weren't his target. He was aiming at the cars and was sending them forward to ram them over. Clint threw an arrow at a ledge and was pulling himself towards it. As he was raising himself, Natasha grabbed his waist and was hoisting herself up with him. They both looked down and realized that the situation was becoming much more worse.
"It seems we have more of a crazed kid then possible villain." Clint mentioned. "Can't you just mommy-talk him before he destroys the city?"
"Mommy-talk?" Natasha repeated less enthusiastic then Clint. "You did not just say that when I'm in a position to hurt you in many harmful places." She looked down and noticed the kid running into an alleyway.
As he ran in, Clint jumped behind him. As the kid turned around to see him, Natasha pounced on his other side. They cornered him.
"Just give me the damn wand!" Natasha threatened in a harsh tone. "Or else...!"
The kid pointed his wand and spun in a circle. It cause the area outside of him to turn into some yellow substance. Clint and Natasha both began to sink in. As the kid raised his platform and ran off from there. This mission was not going to end anytime soon.
"Honey!" Natasha exclaimed looking at what she was sinking in.
"Yes, dear?" Clint asked sly taking her last statement differently.
"No." Natasha replied rolling her eyes at Clint's flirting. "We're sinking in honey."
"You said the wand doesn't do organic matter. So this isn't honey, Honey." He looked up and saw the kid run off. "Hey, great mission plan so far." He said sarcastically. "We should call Iron Man."
"What do you not understand?! We are not calling Tony!"
"Good, cause he came on his own."
Natasha turned around and saw that red and gold suit hovering above her. She face palmed to herself as Tony rose his faceplate. She remembered that capricious smile he currently had on his face.
"You look stuck." Tony stated making fun of the two agents.
"Mr. Stark." Natasha said as Tony pulled her out.
"Natalie Rushman." Tony replied even though he knew her actual name. He flew over Clint and stared at him. "Who's your boyfriend."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "He's not my boyfriend. This is Agent Clint Barton codename: Hawkeye; Master Marksman. Best of the best."
Tony looked at Clint before looking back at Natasha. "I always knew there was a reason on why you never swoon at me when we first met. Now I know why."
"Why are you here?" Natasha asked changing the subject. "How did you find us?!"
"I was flying around when I noticed 5th Avenue was suddenly vertical. Why didn't you call me? You know I'm a consultant for The Avengers Initiative."
"One, this is not an Avengers team-up. And two, because you of all people shouldn't know of this!"
"Still, aren't you two supposed to be a Master Spy and Archer? You can't handle a kid?"
"Ugh, if Hawkeye would just let me deal with him instead of trying to grand-slam -"
"Oh, it's my fault?!" Clint argued. "You don't know a single thing about kids. You couldn't even be left alone for a second with him!"
"Ok..." Tony said breaking the fight. "While you're both being right, your target's getting away."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Clint and Natasha were running on the streets following the kid as Tony flew above him. Clint had his eyes on the kid. Natasha had her eyes on the kid and Stark just to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Tony may or may not have his eyes on the wand.
The kid pointed the wand at them and realized that it suddenly wasn't working anymore.
"Why isn't this working?!" He grunted smacking the wand.
"It is working." Clint responded. "You just can't use it right."
"But I will be able to break it apart and get the knowledge of the century right in my hands." Tony added.
"Shut up Stark." Clint told him. "We can handle this."
"Yeah, cause that worked out so well the first time." Tony said sarcastically.
"Looks like everyone wants your little gadget." Clint stated to the kid. "You have two options, let it fall in the hands of Stark or give it to SHIELD; I.E, me and the RedHead."
"I'll take option 3." The kid replied blasting Clint over. "Keep it to myself."
"Can't everyone just leave me alone!" The kid exclaimed as he ran to a rooftop. He turned around and saw Natasha climbing the ledge of the roof. "I'm not a bad guy."
"You may not be a bad guy, but damage is being done. People are getting hurt." Natasha told him in a comforting tone. "You can't control the power you're wielding. Nobody can."
"Then why should I give it to you?" He asked as Natasha took a step closer to him.
"Because I can make sure nobody can use it again. Giving it now would be good. And you are a good person...Aaron."
"How do you know my name?"
Before Natasha could answer, Clint appeared to ruin her moment.
"Stop trying to trick him Widow." Clint said breaking her thread. "He already knows we want the wand like everyone else."
"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.
"That touchy-feely stuff doesn't work on teens. Stand back and let me talk to him." Clint walked passed Natasha and placed his arm around Aaron in a friendly way. "You're doing your own thing, kid. Following in the old man's footsteps. A rebel, I get it."
Natasha shoved him out of the way. "The buddy system? That doesn't work on teens either. Pathetic, maybe you were right, I should have brought Iron Man in the first place."
"Who rescued you from danger twice, today?! Me or Stark?!"
"You know what, I should have handled this myself!"
"Stop fighting!" Aaron yelled. "That's all my dad ever did with this thing. That's why my mom went away, that's why my dad got sent away and I have had enough with it! I have the power now. I didn't want to use it. But people - you people have given me no choice!"
Aaron raised the wand in the air and was in process of disintegrating the whole city into a pile of molecules.
"Molecule Man couldn't do this." Clint stated. "Could he?"
"Definetly not." Natasha confirmed. "Stark! We need you!"
"Finally..." Tony said as he flew in. "Seems as if you need a repulser." Tony blasted the kid over. Aaron let go of the wand as he fell to the ground. Tony easily walked over and picked it up. "That was easy. How have you two been doing it?"
"Stark, give me the wand." Natasha commanded.
"I assume that Fury told you to keep that from me. Think about what I could do with molecular energy. I could turn the moon into a small battery and so much more."
"You see?" Natasha told Clint.
"Alright. I get it." Clint responded finally understand why Fury didn't want him. "Stark, we got this handled."
"We don't need your help." Natasha added.
"I wouldn't take credit for this if I was either of you." Tony responded. "I would have gotten better agents qualified for this. You know, Avengers?"
"You think I'm just some weak kid?!" Aaron yelled as he snatched the wand from Tony. "That wand gives me power not even The Avengers have."
He raised the wand in the air but luckily, Tony smacked it out. Clint and Natasha were both running to catch it.
"I got it!" They yelled as they both caught it causing it to break in half.
"No!" Aaron exclaimed.
Clint and Natasha both looked at each other confused as they held the piece of the wand they had. It was fizzing and neither of them knew what to do nor what'll happen.
"Which part of your plan is this?!" The two assassins asked each other.
OoOoOoOoOo
The world around them suddenly got emerged into a blue orb. Once the orb disappeared, the area around them was all black dots. But they could still make out buildings and cars. They were just shaped and formed in black dots.
"Everything's gone..." Aaron muttered.
"It's incredible." Tony rephrased. "Reality is basically reformed into molecules. What were looking at is the molecular state of the city."
"Ok..." Clint said puzzled. "Now tell me in words I'll understand."
"Breaking the wand caused a rift. Since we were the closest, we got pulled through. We're looking at the world from a molecular point of view."
"That's...great. Can we go home now?"
"You've seen a demigod and you're scared of this?" Natasha asked rhetorically. But to answer Clint's question, she just lifted her half of the broken wand representing that their ride was currently busted.
"Right..."
Aaron grabbed both ends of the wand and held it in his hands. "Turns out this thing my dad left for me is nothing but trouble. I thought I could do good. Clear his name and now look. Now I've ruined everything."
"You haven't ruined everything." Tony told him comfortingly. "Well, not yet."
"We need you Aaron." Natasha told him in her attempting motherly tone. "We need you to get back home."
"You just want this thing my dad made." Aaron said dropping the wand pieces on the ground. "Then I'll just be alone again. I thought I could be different; do something good."
"Think so?" Clint asked. "Here's where you could prove it."
"That power set the world on its side, but maybe it could get us back on the right side. Only you and you alone can wield this power." Natasha mentioned.
"Not with this stupid broken wand." Aaron grunted.
Clint and Natasha each picked up a piece and looked at each other.
"If you have the parts of something -" Clint started.
" - you can put it back together." Natasha finished.
They clicked the pieces together and the wand automatically reformed back to its intact shape. Aaron looked skeptical.
"You really think I can do this?" He asked.
"There's no better hero for the job." Tony told him.
Aaron accepted the wand and pointed it at the sky. It shot it and bits and pieces of it began disappearing. Instead of the black, beaded sky, they started to see a bright blue, cloudy sky. It was working. They were going to return back home.
OoOoOoOoOo
They were all back in New York City, right on the rooftop where they left. Tony began hovering above them.
"Well, alls well that ends well. I'm glad I just showed up even if Fury didn't want me here." Tony said as he saw the SHIELD Helicarrier approaching. "Speak of the devil, tell that SHIELD pirate I say hi."
That was when Tony flew off.
"Oh no..." Clint muttered. "We're in trouble."
"I had a feeling this wasn't over." Natasha added.
Nick stepped out of the Helicarrier with Agent Hill behind him. Both looked the same as usual. Agent Hill had her SHIELD uniform with her dark brown hair in a bun and Nick had his usual black trench coat with his eye patch.
"Stark was not supposed to be on this mission." Nick scolded his two best agents. He pointed at Natasha. "And you were supposed to make sure he wasn't on this mission."
"Director, you were right." Natasha told him. "The wand's power was tempting for Stark. But secrets do have a way of getting out. You can reprimand me later. But for now, what do we do with Aaron? It seems as if he wants to do something good."
"The son of a villain is hero material?"
"He is a bright young man with potential."
"And doesn't SHEILD have a program training high school recruits?" Clint added helping Natasha out. "I'd say that's a start for him."
Nick sighed after making his decision. "Kid, you are very lucky to get recommendations from two of my very best."
"Really?" Aaron asked ecstatic. Now he has a real future to wait for.
"Agent Hill and I will discuss it with you over lunch." Nick said as him and Maria led him inside the Helicarrier. Nick looked back at his two assassins. "But don't think I'm done with the both of you. My office now."
OoOoOoOoOo
Both Clint and Natasha stood in Director Fury's office waiting for him anxious on what he would punish them with. Maybe they'll be stuck at desk work or even no combat missions for a period of time.
"Clint, I know it was your day off but thanks for agreeing to do this with me." Natasha told him.
Clint smiled at the RedHead. "добро пожаловать." He replied using the same phrase Natasha used earlier.
That was when Nick walked in his office seeing his two assassins there. He crossed his arms and stared at both of them with his one good eye.
"After today's events, I have made my decision on what I want with you two." He started. "You teamed up with a man whom I did not his nosy attitude on, the city is half destroyed and will take forever to fix, and the world was almost wiped out of existence. And all I have is one thing for you."
"What?" Natasha asked. "Reprimand us?"
"Take away our 'Agent' title?" Clint asked.
"No." Nick replied. "I just have one thing to ask the both of you..."
Their hearts were racing. But after Director Fury said those 12 words, the same devilish smirk appeared on the faces of Black Widow and Hawkeye. They couldn't disagree. It was an offer to big to put down.
"How would you like to be a part of The Avengers Initiative?"
Now that is a good story on how they got recruited for The Avengers Initiative. And hey, this is my second one-shot! I wrote this instead of my new chapters for my current stories Time Travelling Spangles and The Story of Emily Stark. But I will get back to those. Until I do, you should check them out.
Pretty please review! Tell me how I did on this! Share your opinion!
I am open to story recommendations. Feel free to review an idea. In fact, I am working on a one-shot for all my Avenger pairings. Will soon publish a Pepper/Tony one but still need plots for Bruce/Betty and Thor/Jane. Read my Steve/Peggy one (Hello Sweetie).
Until the next time,
~MysteryGal5