Welcome. This is a story I've had in the back of my mind for about a year now. I know we all were wondering where Hawkeye was during the WINTER SOLDIER aka (the fall of SHIELD). Well this is that story. I hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of these characters, all rights go to Marvel.
TRUST
"Target in sight Wilson, he's at your 4 o'clock near the hotel entrance."
"Copy that Barton. Hold your fire until I give the signal."
The man called Barton sighed. He could've easily completed this mission now and vanished without a trace. "Copy that."
He removed his gloved finger from the trigger but continued staring through the scope of his TAC-338 sniper rifle, refusing to let the target out of his sight.
Everything about this mission annoyed him. The location, his partner, the weapon he was being forced to use, all of it. From the moment Director Fury had said the words "no bow on this mission Barton" he knew it was likely to be extremely uneventful.
He'd completed these types of missions hundreds of times with very little effort. It was always the same 4 step process. Locate the Target, Get into Position, Kill, Disappear. He always silently dreaded step number 2 because he could be stuck in position for however long SHIELD deemed necessary. Sometimes it was minutes, sometimes it was hours.
It would be a lot different if his favorite partner was here. God he missed Nat so much. If she were here he could play his favorite game which he liked to call poke the spider. He would talk about anything and everything which drove Nat absolutely bonkers. In the end she would threaten Clint with death threats that were so creative, that he really speculated on if you could actually kill somebody in those ways.
Suddenly he saw what he knew his current partner James Wilson was waiting for. Zooming in on the scope of the rifle that he hated so much Clint noticed a tall man dressed in large trench coat moving directly towards the target.
"I've located the contact. Wilson he's in a navy blue trench coat on your 9 o'clock. Don't forget we need the contact alive."
There was dead silence…
"Wilson do you copy? The contact is moving in fast from your 9 o'clock."
More silence…
"Wilson come in!" Clint rotated his sniper rifle slightly to the left where his partner who was disguised as a valet driver, should have been.
Instead Clint saw a crowd of people surrounding a man who was sitting at an awkward position in a chair behind the valet desk. Clint adjusted his scope making it zoom in a little once more. His heart very well may have dropped into his stomach due to what he saw.
The man this crowd of people were surrounding was none other than his new partner James Wilson. In the dead center of James's chest was a whole the size of a cantaloupe. Clint knew right away that he had been shot by a sniper which meant he wasn't the only one stalking his prey right now. The adrenaline kicked in hard and fast, and Clint wasted no time in relocating his target.
This mission was compromised but he still had a job to do, and it would only take him a second too complete it.
Clint found his target again 10 seconds later which was slightly longer than he would have liked. The sudden adrenaline rush impaired his vision slightly but he knew how to deal with it. He began to take deep even breaths. INHALE... EXHALE… INHALE… EXHALE. He tickled the trigger as he lined up the shot. The targets head exploded all over the concrete, but it wasn't from Clint's rifle. The man who was thought to be the contact was standing over him with a desert eagle pistol that was smoking from the barrel. Clint lined up a shot on the second man, but then he hesitated as his mind tried to process everything.
This trench coated assassin wasn't someone he needed to kill, at least not at this very moment. He needed to interrogate him and find out who he worked for.
Clint grabbed his rappelling gear and hooked himself up a fast as he could. A moment later and he was scaling the building, and in another moment he had his boots on the ground. He didn't have time to break down his rifle so he had to abandon it on the rooftop. The 9mm pistol he had holstered on his thigh would have to do.
Clint grabbed the small radio off his belt and said in a calm but serious voice "This is Agent 102, Agent 143 is down and so is the package. I'm in pursuit of the shooter."
No response.
"Shield do you copy, is anybody there?" Clint asked. "What the fuck is going on today?"
If Clint were being honest he had been in compromised situations more times than he'd like to remember, but he had always been able to get himself out of them. Situations like these didn't scare him but they sure did annoy the hell out of him. It was funny how a simple mission could turn into one large catastrophe in a matter of seconds.
Clint spared a quick look at his now dead partner. Rage quickly filled Clint to brim and all he could think about was himself emptying his magazine in the mysterious assassin's head. He may not have particularly like Agent Wilson, but he knew the man had a wife and a daughter back home. Clint swallowed hard when he realized he'd probably have to be the one to tell them. He push these thoughts to the side, he had to focus on the objective.
Clint searched the crowded street, his eyes landing on every single person they came across until "Found you you son of a bitch."
Clint began running at full speed ducking and dodging the many civilians that littered the streets. The man was about 200 yards away walking casually trying to blend in. Clint would have no problem sneaking up on him through the crowd. He smiled at this realization.
Clint was about 10 yards from the assassin when the mysterious man ducked into an alley. Clint knew the tail was blown but he followed anyway, his curiosity and rage were getting the best of him. He hoped that they didn't get him killed.
The man had stopped in the middle of the alley with his back to Clint.
Suddenly the man said "oh Hawkeye, you don't know how long I've waited to get an opportunity like this."
"You must be feeling suicidal then my friend" Clint said as he unfastened his thigh holster. Clint couldn't put his finger on it, but the man's voice sounded strangely familiar. He knew he had heard it before he just couldn't place it.
The man faced him and removed his hat in the process.
Clint's eyes widened in utter shock, he didn't know if he could take any more surprises like this today. The man in the trench coat was Agent Marvin Harrison, also known as the man who was supposed to be running communications on this mission.
"What the fuck Harrison?" asked Clint.
"I'd love to answer your questions Hawkeye, but I'm afraid you won't be alive long enough to hear what I have to say."
Agent Harrison gave what he must have thought was a subtle nod to somebody behind Clint.
Clint had the SIG Sauer P226 pistol out of the holster in a flash. He spun around and fired once at the new arrival. The bullet landed square in the middle of the man's forehead, right on the bullseye. Clint spun back around and fired 2 shots at Agent Harrison who had his weapon out but was to slow to get off a shot. The bullets hit Agent Harrison in the chest and sent him airborne for about 2 feet until he landed hard on the unforgiving concrete.
Clint sprinted to the dying agent and kicked his weapon away. Clint grabbed the small towel out of his back pocket and proceeded to apply pressure to the wounds.
"Who do you work for you bastard?" He yelled.
The man didn't answer.
Clint quickly pulled the combat knife out that was sheathed under his vest and stabbed the dying agent in the leg.
The alley was suddenly filled with an ear wrenching scream, and Clint covered his mouth to muffle the sound.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time if you don't answer, you're going to end up like your buddy back there" said Clint, who was shaking due to the hatred he felt. "Who do you work for?"
Agent Harrison laughed, and before Clint could do anything he bit down hard on something inside his mouth. A second later his mouth was foaming.
"NO YOU COWARD" Clint yelled while shaking Harrison.
Clint knew the man was doomed; there was really no point in staying here to watch this man die. He needed to get to a safe house ASAP.
Clint made to get up off the ground when a hand grabbed him hard around the wrist.
Agent Harrison looked at Clint and said with his last breath "Hail Hydra."