A/N

This is my first fanfic on this site, so please be a little forgiving on any errors that I've made. I hope you enjoy it. Just so you know in this story Clint is not married to Laura and does not live in the farmhouse with her and the children. Basically in this story he has no family. I know that sounds kinda harsh but it just works better with the story.

Chapter One: Hawkeye

The last streaks of sunlight are disappearing over the horizon outside the avengers tower when I finally reach the door. New York is a welcoming sight after spending the last week in a flea infested hole in the ground in Morocco with an Arabic drug lord trying to find out who else was part of his operation. It wouldn't of taken near as long had I been given his identity before I landed in the middle of the desert with no indication of what part of the country he would be in. Fury finally came through about two days in and gave me a name, there wasn't any way to come up with a face because no one knew who he was. After another two days, I'd found, captured, and interrogated him. The last three days were spent arranging for him and myself to be brought back into the U.S to the helicarrier. I debriefed Fury this morning and was cleared to return to the Tower and recuperate. So here I am, standing outside one of the most well known buildings in New York, about rejoin my team of super soldiers, demigods, geniuses, rage monsters, and assassins known as the Avengers. My hand reaches out and goes to pull open the door, but it won't budge. I try again, confused. Tony wouldn't have the door locked when he knew I'd be returning unless it was some prank, which Natasha specifically told him not to pull until at least a day after either of us returns from a mission unless he wants to be maimed.

"Jarvis, is this Tony's doing?" I ask Tony's AI that he built to control the Towers functions. To my surprise, I don't get an answer from the usually talkative British program. "Jarvis?" Still no reply. I decide to take matters into my own hands and walk around to the side of the building. Unknown to Tony, Natasha and I had created a hatch in the wall that led to the inside. It required a thumb scanner that was set to the exact biology of Nat and I, which shield let us use (we definitely didn't steal it, we'd never do that). It is set up in just the right way that even Jarvis doesn't know it's there. I place my thumb to the scanner and sigh when it opens, revealing the lobby of Stark Tower. The minute I step foot inside the large well decorated room, I know somethings off. There's not a single person in the lobby. To anyone else it would seem as if everyone just decided to leave and head upstairs, but there's little things that suggest otherwise. The vase that Peppers grandmother had given her for Christmas last year no longer sits in its place on the table. I walk over to the spot where it should've been and find small shards of glass littering the carpet beneath the table. Reaching down, I pick up a piece and see that there's a red substance on it. At first it looks as if Pepper dropped the vase and cut herself, but then I see it. A small scrap of something is stuck to what I assume is blood, it's skin. Red skin. My mouth twitches as I realize that there's only one person who it could belong to. I quickly go about the room looking for anything out of the ordinary. A painting of the American flag is hanging on the east wall, when it usually goes on the west wall where Steve had put it. When I move it to the side, there's a hole in the wall where something went through it (probably a fist). Something glinting in the light catches my eye to the left and I move to investigate it. One of Peppers earrings is on the floor next to a chair, the diamond lying next to it after falling out on impact. I hear a sound behind me and the hair on the back of my neck bristles. My hand reaches into a compartment on

the side of my boot to grab the knife I have hidden there and I leap to my feet. In an instant I'm standing face to face with a very frightened, very panicked Pepper Potts who is staring wide eyed at the knife in my hand. My arm relaxes and I put the weapon away.

"Mrs. Potts. What happened?" Her voice comes out in a choked gasp.

"I was coming back from Tony's lab and was going to go out shopping. But when I got to the lobby there were a bunch of men breaking in through the door. I tried to run and alert the team, but they saw me and chased me down. One of them tried to grab me and sent his fist flying through the wall and I fell. I looked up at the door and... and.."

"And what?" I ask

"And the Red Skull was coming in with Loki, Red Hulk, Justin Hammer, M.O.D.O.K and several others. There was an archer and a woman, I think she was Russian. There were a bunch of A.I.M agents and men with knives and guns. They took me to where they were standing and let go of my arms. The Red Skull went into some long speech about finally coming to defeat Captain America and the rest of them each wanted to destroy a certain Avenger. While he was talking, I grabbed the vase off the table and hit him over the head with it. I ran and was able to hide in one of the closets, it was like they didn't even chase me." She had started calming down and was now taking deep breaths. I nodded slowly, taking charge of the situation.

"Ok. Pepper I want you to get out of here. Go to the S.H.I.E.L.D base and contact Nick Fury or Hill and tell them what happened. Get them to send backup and figure out how they got in here in the first place. Got it?" She nods and heads towards the door. I grab her arm and lead her through the hatch I had come through. "Don't tell Tony about it." She nods and exits the lobby. I turn to the elevator. I don't even try to go through it, if Jarvis isn't online there's no way it'll open. The bag on my shoulder weighs heavily against me and I set it open the ground. The zipper is pulled open to reveal my bow and quiver, which I brought on my last mission in case things went south. Luckily, everything went as planned and I only had to loose a few arrows. I walk over to the corner where there's a vent above my head. With a little effort, I leap up to the grate a scoot it out of the way. While holding on with my right arm, I use my left arm to push my bow and quiver in the vent in front of me before climbing nimbly in myself. I crawl through the metal vents for a quarter of a mile, taking many twists and turns. Having navigated these vents all the time, I prefer them rather than walking the halls or using the elevator, I know exactly where to go to get to the living room. The space is a complete wreck. There are bodies everywhere. One man lies on the ground with a knife through his chest, probably curtesy of Natasha, while another is stuck in a hole in the wall, Banner's doing. Some of them look pretty crispy after experiencing Thor's wrath. Slowly, I open the grate and glance around to make certain the room is in fact empty. When I'm sure I'm alone, I drop quietly to the ground and carefully make my way to the door. I put my ear to the door and listen for any sound. When I hear nothing, I crack it open and take a step into the hall. The first thing to do is to make my way to the armory, if what Pepper said was right, there are going to be too many to take on with just what I have on me. Using my S.H.I.E.L.D training, I sneak quietly down the hallway. Suddenly, footsteps sound around the corner and I press myself up against the wall. My shoulders tense as I wait for the culprits to show themselves. I don't have to wait long as an A.I.M agent rounds the corner. He doesn't even have time to react as I reach out and snap his neck. A gun cocks and I have just enough time to drop to the floor before bullets start flying. The projectiles land all around me, but never hit their mark. I hear a click and roll out in front of my attacker and leap into action. The man is trying desperately to reload and has just gotten the magazine inserted when I'm upon him. A right cross hits him in the jaw before he has a chance to go on the defensive. The machine gun drops to the ground and I duck beneath a clumsy jab, landing a solid hit to his ribs in the process. I'm behind him in a matter of seconds and place a well aimed elbow to his spine. My arms reach around his neck and put him in a chokehold, tightening the more he struggles. It only takes a few seconds to cut off his breathing completely and he slumps to the ground. I drop him on the floor and drag the bodies into a closet that is about ten yards away. With them out of the way I'm able to continue on my journey to the armory. I make my way down the hall and turn another corner and the doors to my destination are twenty yards further. When I reach them, I place my ear to the doors and listen to see if the room is occupied. When nothing reaches my ears, I throw the door open and draw my bow. I'm met with a knife flying towards me and a red, white, and blue shield zipping straight towards my face. I duck just in time to avoid the weapons and give my friends a skeptical look. The Black Widow and Captain America are standing in defensive positions guarding the weapons inside the room.

"Nat, Steve! Give a guy a little warning next time! Can I not go one day without almost having my head taken off!" I whisper harshly. They relax when they hear my voice. Natasha walks up to me assesses me for an injuries and, aside from the few I'd acquired from my previous mission, I'm unscathed. When she is satisfied with my health, she leads me into the center of the room where Steve is. Now that I can see the super soldier up close, I can tell he's having trouble. There's a wound to his side that's bleeding sluggishly and his breathing is slightly increased. I lean down and pull a patch out of a compartment in my belt that I save for emergencies. Quickly and carefully, I place it on top of the wound to stop the bleeding. He nods at me gratefully and I give him a tense smile. I turn to Natasha. "What happened?"

"M.O.D.O.K and a bunch of his lackeys somehow got in and attacked the living room whenever Thor, Banner, Tony, and I were inside. Tony didn't have his suit and was injured, so Thor and Banner got him out of there while I held them off. I was outnumbered and had to retreat, that's when I found Steve." The Captain now offers his two cents into the story.

"They blew the doors off the gym while I was working out and I had to fight my way out. I didn't have my shield so one of them was able to get a shot on me. I started making my way to the armory, where I ran into Natasha. We were able to secure the armory after taking care of the guards posted outside the doors. M.O.D.O.K has never been able to pull something like this off." He finishes. I think back to Peppers outburst and quickly add.

"That's because he's not alone. When I got back from the mission Fury sent me on, I tried to get into the Tower. When Jarvis didn't respond, I snuck in. I found evidence of a fight and later found Pepper, who was in the lobby when they broke in." I glance at Steve. "She said it was the Red Skull." I can see his shoulders tense. "Followed by Loki, Red Hulk, and Justin Hammer. It's like someone gave all of our worst enemies the keys to the castle and let them loose." Natasha looks skeptical.

"So they obviously sent Red Skull after Cap, Loki for Thor, Red Hulk is for Bruce, and Justin Hammer is Tony's arch nemesis. M.O.D.O.K must've just been extra precaution. Where does that leave the two of us?" I stare at her for a moment before answering.

"She said there was an archer and a Russian woman, but she wasn't able to put names to them. I didn't have time to get a description so that's all I've got. So as of right now we need to find Thor, Banner, and Stark before they do." I turn to the duo. "Do you have any idea where they could've gone?" Natasha is the first to answer.

"As I said earlier, Tony was injured so they probably tried to go to the MedBay. Most likely there were guards outside of there because they would've figured at least one of us would get hurt eventually. So that would've led to a confrontation and resulted in either a bunch of dead bad guys, or a trashed MedBay. Either way, they would've gotten some sort of first aid. The only other places that have medical supplies are the hangar and Tony's lab. Which means if they saw guards in front of the MedBay, they could've headed towards one of those two places in order to avoid drawing more attention." I nod slowly before replying.

"Ok so that means we could either split up and cover more ground faster, or stay together and move slower but have a better chance of remaining mostly unscathed." I say to the duo. Steve pipes up.

"Normally I'd say we should stick together but the rest of the team could be in grave danger, especially surrounded by people with vendettas against us. I say we split up." He pauses to make sure we agree. We do. "Ok. Clint you can use the air vents to get into the hangar. Natasha, head to Tony's lab and I'll go to the MedBay. If anyone encounters any resistance you should try and avoid any fights, surprise is our best advantage right now. Clint you especially need to stay in the shadows, they don't even know you're here yet. When we've searched our areas, we'll meet in my room. If that is occupied, head to Thor's." With a final nod he adds. "Ok grab any weapons you need and let's go." I walk calmly to the counter and survey the options. After a few minutes of collecting I have several grenades, an array of knives, two pistols, ammo, and an extra bundle of arrows that I save for emergencies. With one last glance at my companions, I haul myself up into the vents.

"Clint, I swear if I have to come and save you I'll kill you myself." Natasha's threat floats up into the vents and I smile, always so emotional. The extra arrows on my back make the air ducts a little tight to maneuver in and I crawl along trying to keep them from scraping against the ceiling. After nearly eight minutes of crawling along in silence, I hear talking up ahead. I crawl forward cautiously and peer through the grating to find the source of the voices. A tall red haired woman is standing with her back to me talking to an A.I.M agent. She's obviously frustrated and is gesturing wildly at the man. With a snarl of rage, she pulls out a pistol and shoots him between the eyes. The sudden turn of events almost makes me flinch. It's then that the woman turns around and I see her face, my heart stops. I watch as she makes her way down the hall and as soon as she is out of sight I continue on my way. Two minutes later I'm outside the hangar doors. A fan inside the ducts prevents me from moving into the room through them, so I'll be forced to use the doors. There are three guards posted just below me and without hesitation, I leap down and land on top of one of them. I take a knife from its sheath on my hip and slit his throat while lashing out with a kick at the next closest agent. It connects with the side of his knee, shattering the bone. He lets out a bone chilling cry before aiming his weapon at my face. In one fluid motion, I leap into the air and wrap my legs around his midsection while grabbing ahold of the last man's neck and use my momentum to throw them to the ground. My grip tightens around the assailant's throat and I can feel his windpipe give beneath the pressure. I release him and quickly land an elbow to the temple of the man I currently have in a triangle, knocking him out cold. Without much effort, I drag the bodies out of the way and lean against the hangar doors. I take a few deep breaths and draw back my bow. My eyes flutter closed for a single moment, imagining what lay ahead, before I throw open the doors and take a defensive stance. Thirty men armed to the teeth stand inside the room, looks of confusion on their faces. For a moment it's as if time itself is frozen, then I let the first arrow fly.

A/N

so that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it! Reviews are welcome, if you have any requests feel free to add a comment and I'll do my best.