Chapter One

Phil looked at the screen and frowned. After two years of looking for Horizon, they had finally found a lead and he couldn't quite believe what Juliette was showing him.

"You're sure?" he asked for the fifth time. They had always known about Greyhound, tracking him down in time hadn't worked out but they had been roughly aware of where he was. Yates, the Agent in charge of the project hadn't gone after him like Ross had therefore the structure to find him wasn't in place.

"Definitely. It's a logical place." Juliette studied him over the rim of her tea mug.

"Cuba." Phil sighed, with all they had learnt about Horizon, it did make sense. "Now, what did you have to do to get this?" That was what he wanted to know, how Juliette had come by KGB records.

"A man opened the door to a blue police box, said 'Hello, I'm the Doctor' and the rest, as they say, is history." She waved her clearance level card at him and Phil had to admit defeat. "I know a guy."

"A guy who happens to have some classified Soviet information?" Phil raised his eyebrows.

"Since when do you know guys?" Clint asked and Phil again asked himself why Clint was there, the three of them staring at screens for confirmation on various things. Juliette rolled her eyes.

"We met twice, five minutes in total-" Phil silenced her with a glare.

"Cuba," he said firmly. "We'll have to check it out. Take Tasha, Clint and I will follow up the Hornet lead in Ontario."

"Let me get this straight, you're shipping Ettie here off to the Caribbean whilst I'm going to Canada?" Clint shook his head. "Have you met us before?" Phil knew they hated the climates, Juliette the heat and Clint wasn't a fan of being cold. Still, Horizon had KGB links and he needed Tasha on that, and someone who could calm Tasha down easily. Clint wouldn't be able to spot every sign like Juliette could. There was something else though, something Phil had noticed in Juliette. He didn't think looking for Hornet would be a good idea until Tasha told him she was fine.

"Fury gave Juliette the lead in finding the Avengers. I need you to come to Ontario." Phil picked at the files in front of him. He caught Clint's smile out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

"Just nice to have the whole, you'll do what you're told young man thing back." Phil rolled his eyes but he was touched. He was older than them, old enough to be considered some sort of father figure. Tasha was in her seventies of course, but Red Room made sure that didn't change much. There was a moment when they debated answering with something soppy and heart-warming.

"Get your things, we leave immediately. Juliette, you and Tasha go as soon as you've debriefed Captain Rogers." Phil wished he could do that himself. However, there was a lead in Ontario that needed his attention.

"Hey, Juliette?" She turned around to face Clint as she reached the door. "Don't let this one kick your ass." Juliette gave her partner the flattest stare possible and walked out without another word.

"Clint," Phil muttered reproachfully only to get a grin. "You-" He had said that purely to get Phil's reaction. "I swear I'll leave you in a Canadian snow drift."

"Only to see if I'll turn into Steve," came the reply. Clint was handed a large pile of folders as reward for that and they set off down the corridor towards the hanger. Phil still hated the tiny side wing that was solely for the purpose of keeping his survival a secret. He hadn't been on the bridge of the helicarrier since the day Loki attacked, or in a control room. He had his agents, of course, but Phil knew he no longer really had what had once been his job.

The plane was waiting, Clint took the controls as Phil went through flight check. They were off the ground and heading away from New York City in minutes.

"You think there's something up with Juliette?" Clint asked as he skirted the coast.

"She's taking risks in practice, pushing herself," answered Phil quietly. "I'll talk to Tasha."

"I asked her, but she didn't say anything. I thought we could have something in common." Phil nodded, Clint's experience with Loki was by far worse than Hornet's little stunt but he could sympathise with Juliette. "I don't think she realises we do."

"Leave it to Tasha." From Clint's expression Phil gathered he hardly thought their redhead could be of much more use.

"Did she mention something about having it done before?" Phil nodded.

"She blamed the French."

"Doesn't SHIELD, have to know these things?"

"I wouldn't want to accuse her of lying when she joined." Phil knew full well that Juliette had lied through her teeth, but he trusted her. If she had been breaking into CIA records not ex-KGB, things might have been different. An enemy's enemy is a friend, in his book. "I don't think we need to worry, this isn't the War of Independence, what the British know, we know."

"Except how to do things properly. We apparently have no idea." Phil had to agree to that, Juliette had even tried to make him remake his bed properly during a mission. None of them had any idea what a counterpane was or what it did but she insisted on rearranging them anyway.

"So how exactly do we bring Hornet down? She can guess every move, she might even know we're coming," Clint said glumly.

"Your arrows worked, you must have been out of her range and they came too quick, she lost a guard without him so much as blinking. Greyhound was too quick as well. I guess we'll just have to work out how good her reactions are." Phil looked at the files quickly, keeping a cold face. He knew what Hornet could do well enough; he just didn't know the limits.

… …

So, this is part three of The Original Initiative. Part two was Greyhound.