"We need you to slip in, grab information, and get out." Fury explained roughly. "Out of all of SHIELD, You two know Red Room best."
The assassins shared a look. They did not wish to be shipped off to Russia. That being a mutual feeling, they held their tongues. Nick Fury was not a force to be reckoned with. Before they could blink, they were on a plane. A large, snowy mountain range covered up the Red Room base. Clint knew very well that Natasha was the best woman for the mission. He also knew what this visit could jeopardize. Under the circumstances that she were caught, he may not ever be able to get Natasha back. Red Room could flip a mental switch in her and turn on the coldhearted Natalia Romanov as easily as a lamp. He was nervous going in. Natasha was his partner and the only person he could trust. Neither of them had family in their lives so they relied on each other. Clint knew that Natasha preferred freshly brewed coffee so black, it could make a grown man wretch. He knew she hated hip-hop and enjoyed washing her dishes by hand. Natasha knew that he was as scarred up as her, although he tried to cover that with illy placed humor. She knew he could cook better than any five-star chef and he loved apple juice with a passion. They were partners: they went drinking together, trained together, fought together, kept each other sane, and mended each other's wounds. This mission put their partnership to the ultimate test.
Their suits had been modified for the cold trip. Natasha's suit was upgraded to a thick fabric that would keep her warm in extreme temperatures rather than the normal leather. Her heeled boots were lined with fur. In a small, collapsible container, she had a fur hooded parka. In case they were caught in the weather, the jacket would provide a bit extra warmth. Clint was less than satisfied with his new suit. His vest had been transformed into a thick, kevlar turtleneck. He entered Natasha's room grumbling.
"Can I help you?" Natasha held back a laugh.
"Please." Clint sighed.
Natasha took a knife to his neck. In one swift movement, she cut through the seam attaching the extended neck cover. Standing on tiptoes, she pulled it over his head.
"I hate things around my neck." He complained.
"What was that?" Natasha held the knife to his neck.
"Thank you." Clint grinned.
"You're welcomed." Natasha smirked, "Now go get dressed."
"Aye aye, captain." Clint winked and walked off.
He slipped on his boots and the heavy jacket that SHIELD provided him with. They were thick and cumbersome but he decided not to question it. The assassins were loaded up on a helicopter and shipped out immediately. They were made to jump from the craft to reach their destination.
Up until escaping headquarters, everything had gone smoothly. In fact, the corridors were eerily quiet. Natasha began to worry about where all the girls were. Possibly, they were under a sleep cycle, something they did once a month where they put every down for two days. Natasha received the information she required. Clint had taken out a couple guards before they could even open their mouths. Natasha was able to enter the passwords to get into the high security vaults. She was mildly shocked, deep down, to discover they were unchanged. The information they needed was on Red Room drugs. SHIELD needed to make sure that they weren't near Steve Rogers status on their super steroids. The coded information was quickly downloaded onto a hard drive stick. Tony Stark would decipher it later. As they snuck out, they reached a problem. The exit was surrounded by guards and they were closed in upon from the opposite side. The guards seemed surprised to see the two. They fought side by side as they always did. Their skill sets complement each other. The guards were down to three. Natasha's equipment was smashed to bits. Clint was completely out of arrows. It was then that they saw what the goonies had truly been gathered for. A small girl lay on the floor. She couldn't have been older than eight but she wore a Red Room uniform. Her blonde hair was grayed from exertion. It was strikingly evident that the guards had been hurting her. Her ankle was twisting out an odd angle and there were cuts along her arms. Her face was bruised but bright blue eyes peered up at the pair. The sight made the assassins sick. Clint was pissed off beyond belief. He had been on edge in the facilities to begin with, knowing what these labs had done to Natasha, but seeing this girl struck something in him. Natasha could see the anger in his eyes as he surged forward.
Two guards were down before Natasha could take down the third. They put up a true Red Room fight once they had lost their shock. Despite their efforts, Clint was not a force to be reckoned with in his rage. Natasha had only seen him like this once before, when she had been compromised.
The mission was in the very beginning of their partnership, all those years ago. Natasha had to seduce some information out of a Russian dealer. He was a sociopath. He took her gig a little too seriously. Rather than getting the information she needed, she received a plethora of bruises. He was not supposed to be killed. Natasha was out of her element, unable to fight her own. Because she was new to SHIELD she couldn't bring herself to hit the man. If that were out of line, if she were fired, what would she be left with? Clint was on watch above. He realized quickly that something was going wrong. There was too little talking. When he saw what the man was doing to her, he was infuriated. No scum like him should ever have the chance to even look at, nonetheless take advantage of, something so beautiful as his partner. Before the dealer could even know, there was an arrow lodged in his temple. A blood spattered Natasha wept in Clint's arms for the first time that night. That wasn't the first night she wasn't strong but the first that she trusted him enough to see inside.
Clint grabbed the jugular of one guard and threw him into the other. He stepped on the downed men's backs.
"You sicken me." He hissed before breaking their necks with a violent snap.
Natasha and the young girl hardly flinched. The last guard was killed by Natasha's last knife in his stomach. Natasha picked the girl up. Her eyes grew wide.
"Black Widow?" The girl asked in a hushed voice.
Natasha was caught off guard by the comment. She didn't know that she was known to the recruits. She was their best agent of course, but she had gotten out. They would have covered that up.
"You are." The girl said again. "The rumors were true."
"Rumors?" Natasha asked lightly.
"How did you get out?" The girl asked.
"A little birdy showed me the way." Natasha replied sadly. She saw herself in the young girl.
"Please put me down." The girl asked.
As Natasha complied, the girl fell over. Clint was at her side immediately.
"Stay strong, sweetheart." He said steadily. "We'll get you out of here."
"The doors are on Lockdown, Hawkeye." Natasha informed him.
"Hawkeye?" The girl rasped. "A bird. You will help me?"
"Yeah." Clint gave the girl a small smile. "What's your name, hun?"
"Темный хищника" The girl said, almost robotically.
Natasha bit back her anger. "Dark Predator."
"Your real name, sweetie." Clint asked.
"царица." The girl replied after a moment.
"Czarina." Natasha translated. "What a beautiful name."
The girl made a sour face, rejecting the compliment. Natasha understood.
"Where are the other girls?" She asked.
"They were shipped out." The girl coughed. "I hid. The guards caught me but you got them."
"Where are they now?" Clint asked.
"New facilities." She said weakly. "This is the Director's headquarters now. Training was to take place somewhere else now. I didn't want to g-"
The girl collapsed into a fit of coughs. Clint picked her up. The small blond wrapped her arms around his neck and fell asleep.
"How do we get out, Tasha?" Clint asked after a moment.
"The director is still here." She replied. "Otherwise, the base would be destroyed by now. We need to figure it out fast."
"I have a last resort left." Clint said softly.
"What is it?" Natasha queried.
"I put a bomb in my communicator band." Clint raised his fist to show her. "If I ever got captured again, I never wanted to leak any more information. I'm too weak. I figured I'd end it."
"Clint," Natasha muttered. "Loki is gone. We weren't prepared for anything like that. You are strong."
"No." Clint said simply.
"That's amazing, you know." Natasha told him, gesturing to the girl clinging to him. It amazed him that she could find so many strengths through his weaknesses. "She is trained to trust no one. She knew who I was and didn't want me touching her."
"Maybe I have a thing for Red Room girls." Clint said lightheartedly.
"I think you do." Natasha smiled crookedly at her partner. "You have a way of calm that makes us want to crawl up in your arms and fall asleep."
"Is that so?" Clint prodded. "You're welcomed to."
"Get us out of here, bird brain." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Alright." Clint pulled the pin out of his watch. "Stand back."
Clint chucked the band towards the closest set of metal doors. He ran away from the door with the girl in his arms. Natasha was right behind him. Clint crouched to the ground, unnecessarily but protectively, covering the girl with his body. Natasha crouched beside them and Clint pulled her into his embrace, chuckling.
"Like a happy family," Clint whispered.
"A happy family waiting for explosives to go off," Natasha scoffed.
"Sounds about right for us." Clint grinned crookedly.
The bomb went off behind them. Clint hugged the girl impossibly closed to him. There was a blast of heat at their backs as the explosion died off. Then, just a suddenly, a gust of snow came rolling in. There was a blizzard outside. Natasha unfolded her pocket parka and dressed Czarina. The girl was sleeping heavily and did not stir. They knew they would have to wake her soon for fear she had a concussion. They fought their way into the snow storm. Natasha held her communicator to her mouth as they ran. The explosion was sure to attract attention.
"Base, good news please." Natasha demanded.
"Can I have Clint?" An agent chirped through the intercom.
Natasha grumbled and passed the com.
"She won't kill you." The agent covered for his cowardice.
"Whatever. Just tell me when you can get us." Clint replied roughly.
"Funny thing... We can't get you until this storm passes."
"Hilarious," Clint said. "What do you expect us to do out here?"
"We've tracked your position and found an old cabin nearby. No life signals are present. You can inhabit that. It's a mile to the west."
"How long do you think we will be stuck?"
"Four days maximum." The Agent squeaked.
"Let us know." Clint tossed the com to Natasha after powering it down. He began to lead her in the right direction.
"What's the news they were too afraid to tell me?" Natasha asked.
"We're stuck in an old cabin for a few days." Clint replied.
"Cowards." She growled at the band.
"We've been through worse, Tasha." He assured her.
"We've never had a kid with us!" Natasha exclaimed.
"Like I said: We'll be like a happy, sadistic, and mentally disturbed family."
"Clint." Natasha said softly.
"I know," He returned. "We can do this, though. I know we can."
"I know."
It wasn't long before they encountered the cabin. It was old but well built and warm. Clint started a fire in the fireplace. There was a few logs for fuel. They would have to find more at a later point. The inside had a twin bed, a few tattered blankets, some canned food, an old stove, and a large chair. All of it was in a single room. Natasha tucked Czarina into the chair. It was right in front of the fireplace. She wrapped her in the few blankets they had.
"Czarina?" Natasha called softly.
The girl stirred.
"Open your eyes."
Czarina jumped awake. She looked frantic.
"It's okay," Clint promised her. "You're safe. Go to sleep."
"I have a concussion." The girl informed the two.
"We figured as much." Natasha told her. "We'll take care of you."
She slipped a pill from the pocket in her utility belt. It was advanced healing medicine from SHIELD. It would help the girl heal in no time, kill her pain, and allow her to sleep through the night. "Swallow this."
Czarina did as she was told. Clint tucked the blankets around her again and kissed her forehead. The girl drifted to sleep almost instantly.
"You really do have a magic touch." Natasha remarked quietly.
"I'm glad I do." Clint smiled lightly. "Where would I be without it? I wouldn't have you around."
"Shut up, you lug." Natasha kissed him lightly.
Clint kissed her back. "I mean it."
"I know." Natasha leaned into him.
Clint shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it over Natasha's shaking frame.
"Clint, don't." She tried to escape it to no avail.
"You need it more than I do." He told her.
"Fine." Natasha pressed another kiss to his lips. "Sleep?"
"Sleep." Clint agreed.
They walked over to the small bed and curled up together. They fell asleep, only warmed by each other. It was a natural thing for the two of them. Missions had them constantly relying on each other and most had put them in closer situations. They were not a couple by any conventional sense of the word. They cared deeply for each other, they trusted each other wholeheartedly, they kissed like it was nothing, and sometimes they were teenagers in love, bringing each other to the edge. Maybe this night would have been a night of the latter if Czarina were not there. But tonight they were parents and mature and still in love.
To be continued...
AN: I will still be continuing my story Her Blood on His Hands. Don't fret! I'm just taking a break with this plot bunny. I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think so far.