Chapter Two:Black Widow
Clint has just entered the air vents to head to the hangar when I turn to Steve.
"Are you sure you can make it to the MedBay?" I ask eyeing the wound on his side. He nods.
"It'll heal. Super soldier, remember?" Somehow his reassurance does little to convince me and I move towards the door, my weapons of choice already tucked away in my suit. I check the hall for any intruders before walking quietly out the door, but not before I return Cap's shield that still lay in the middle of the floor after it was thrown at Clint. Cautiously, I make my way down the corridor, constantly searching for any signs of a threat. Silence is usually a welcome occurrence in my book, but it covers the building like a blanket. The lack of sound could be either comforting or concerning. It could mean that the others have found a place to lay low and avoid the villains, or they're dead. "Don't think like that" I mentally scold myself. "They could just be knocked out". I creep down the hall and have only gone about thirty yards from the armory when I hear footsteps. On instinct I retract into the shadows, the color of my clothes helping conceal me from any threats. I wait patiently for the owners to come into view and my muscles tense in anticipation. The footsteps becoming louder and louder and louder until they're like the booming of a drum. My body reacts as soon as they clear the edge of the wall. I though a solid punch to the first man's gut, which doubles him over. Using his back as a platform, I launch into the air and wrap my legs around another assailant's neck in a thigh choke. He squirms and struggles for breath for a few seconds, before falling to the ground. I use the momentum to throw myself into a roll and sweep the legs out from underneath the third and fourth man. Reaching into a compartment on my belt, I pull out a specialized garrote that S.H.I.E.L.D designed especially for me. I throw it with deadly accuracy at the first attacker's neck. It wraps around him before shooting one end up rewards the roof, it embeds itself into the ceiling and hoisting the choking man up into the air. A knife suddenly appears in my hand and I stab the closest person to me in the stomach. The other man wraps his arms around my neck to try and choke me. I pull the knife out and twist it so the blade faces behind me, thrusting it into the man's thigh. He shouts in pain and his grip loosens. I take the opportunity to turn and snap his neck. When the last body hits the floor I relax against the wall and take several deep breaths, slowing my heartbeat. Suddenly, one of the radios attached to the men's shoulder crackles to life.
"We're under attack! Captain America is here!"
"What is your position?!" Red Skull shrieks.
"We're just outside the.. Gah!" The agent's voice dies out.
"Report! Where is the Captain!" There's no answer and I can here the Skull's growl of frustration. I smile. Steve is always finding ways to outsmart the old war criminal. I grab the radio, it could come in handy later, and continue on towards Tony's lab and am soon standing at the stairs that lead down to his place of refuge. Cautiously, I edge down the steps and peek my head out past the wall to look through the glass. No sooner have I done this than I am greeted with an obnoxiously loud shout.
"Ah Lady Natasha! We are most joyful that you have made your presence known! Stark, Banner, you may come out now! It is not my brother!" The thunder god's voice echoes loudly through the small room. I watch as Tony and Bruce appear out from behind the counter and trudge towards the Asguardian. Stark lets out an exasperated sigh and glares at Thor.
"Ok Point Break no need to shout. We are the only ones here." The billionaire has a thick bandage wrapped tightly around his chest and shoulder, where he had been hit with a blast from one of A.I.M's customized guns when all of this began.
"Good to see none of you are dead. Steve and Clint are at the hangar and the MedBay, but all of us are meeting back in Steve's room or Thor's is that fails. So if the three stooges would please follow me." I lead them out of the lab and up the stairs into the hallway. The second I step foot onto the tile, the radio I stole from the agent turns on.
"The hangar is being attacked. Clint Barton has entered the building! We need backup now!" I let out an angry sigh.
"Hawkeye I swear." I turn to the boys. "The three of you will go to Steve's room and wait for the Captain, Clint, and I to return. If you run into any intruders, light 'em up." Thor speaks up.
"But Widow, wouldn't we be of more use assisting you?" I shake my head.
"As of right now, I know where every member of the team is. And I'd like to keep it that way. We're stronger if we're together and it's not gonna stay that way if we all go running off around the building. Do as I said." Without checking to see if they obey, because I know they will, I stalk off towards the hangar. I'm nearly there, when I hear a voice.
"I don't care what your stupid plan is. Clint Barton is mine!" It only takes me a second to recognize the owner. To confirm my suspicions, I poke my head out just enough to see the two people arguing. Just as I thought, the archer is standing yelling at the Red Skull.
"Watch your tongue! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even have the chance to destroy him!" You could cut the tension with a knife. Finally, the archer backs down and storms off into another room. The Red Skull follows suit and I continue on my way to the hangar. I walk along for another few minutes before the silence of the hall is wracked with an explosion. My legs are moving before I even realize it and I'm running straight towards the hangar doors, which are wide open. When I'm close enough I'm finally able to see the scene before me. Bodies of A.I.M agents litter the floor with arrows in them and my partner is running along the rafters, bow drawn and firing. Without hesitation I rush into the room and use my Widow's Bite to incapacitate the man closest to me. After sending a kick to the temple of the next, I pull out my pistols and place one in each hand. The familiar weight is comforting in my hands as I fire round after round at the villains. I hear an arrow whiz past my head and I turn to see another agent fall dead behind me. I smile slightly before snapping the neck of the man who was trying to sneak up on me. By now most of the agents have realized that Hawkeye is no longer alone and some have turned towards me, weapons raised. It doesn't matter too much, they won't be able to hit me anyway. I sprint towards them, ducking their shots occasionally, and land a solid hit to the first, second, and third in line before the radio buzzes once again.
"Keep Hawkeye busy. The less Avengers we have trying to foil our plans, the better." The Red Skull snarls into the comm. I think the message is over, when another voice comes over the line.
"Skull, we found Stark. He was trying to contact S.H.I.E.L.D using an encrypted line in his room. No sign of anyone else."
"Perfect." The Red Skull replies. Suddenly his voice comes over the intercom that is usually saved for Jarvis. "Hello Avengers! You are making things very difficult for me by hiding, but I can fix that. If you ever want to see Tony Stark alive again you will meet me in his lab and surrender yourselves. If you do not, Tony Stark will die. You have exactly twenty minutes to comply." The second the feed ends there's a huge explosion and I turn to the cause. One of the A.I.M agents shot some sort of laser at Hawkeye, disintegrating the rafter beneath his feet. I watch as Clint falls through the hole and plummets towards the ground. He twists in midair and shoots a grappling arrow at the ceiling. It embeds itself in the surface and he goes sailing through the sky, trying to make it to the ground safely. He's nearly there when another laser shot breaks the cable that he's swinging from. Everyone in the room has diverted their attention to the archer and I take the opportunity to take out every single person standing between me and my partner. There's a shout and I watch as Barton's momentum throws him into the air, straight through the giant glass window that leads to the street over two hundred feet below.
"Hawkeye!" I scream.
A/N sorry for the short chapter, I will try to make the next chapters longer