Chapter Two

… …

"Come out slowly." Clint's eyes narrowed towards the woman's outline. He saw her before the she spoke. It was perhaps the only reason the stranger spoke to begin with.

The girl emerged. She was young, maybe late twenties, early thirties. Pale, but healthy looking. Skinny, dressed in clothes that were just a tad too big on her. Her hair was long and dark, pulled back into a sharp pony tail, her bangs dangling just above her eyes.

She looked innocent, like Bruce.

Clint checked her over for weapons and didn't see any so he dropped his stance and lowered his bow, not just putting his arrow away though. "What are you doing out here, miss?"

"I-I'm a researcher in genetics. I was just going for a walk and heard voices. There are no villages for miles, so I was curious. I-I'm so sorry! I didn't expect you to see or hear me!"

"Yeah well, I have good eyesight." Clint eyed her suspiciously. A girl walking out in the jungle alone just didn't feel right. "Where is your team?"

"I'm alone," the girl answered after a beat, hesitant to tell two strangers that she was vulnerable, but unable to lie efficiently. "You're a SHIELD agent?" she asked curiously, with a slight edge of hope. As if a SHIELD agent would be less frightening to meet in the jungle.

Clint had forgotten he was wearing a SHIELD issued shirt. But how did she know about SHIELD?

"My father worked for SHIELD," she explained as if reading Clint's mind. Her eyes drifted over to Bruce curiously.

… …

Bruce hadn't heard the girl approach; his only clue to their company was Clint's reaction.

He had been surprised when Clint began an almost normal conversation about the fish, seeming slightly more at ease than before until the archer drew his bow without warning. He nearly did a double take when a soft Scottish voice called out.

"Don't shoot, I'm a biologist," was not something he expected to hear.

She wasn't a local, that was obvious. He didn't think she looked much like a threat but then again, neither did Natasha when she was being charming. Bruce guessed that having a father in SHIELD made her presence a bit more explainable. Things like that sort of ran in the family. He didn't fail to notice the past tense that she used when describing her father. Somehow, getting a pension from SHIELD wasn't something he could picture easily.

She looked over at him questioningly. He wasn't sure what to say, Clint knew more about who else would be in the area and why.

Except that, looking at Clint, he didn't seem like he did this time.

Bruce glanced around, knowing that there was something wrong. Fury wouldn't have put them there if he had known about other people in the vicinity, surely?

Maybe, as was now apparently his habit, he would be better off saying nothing. He didn't like relying on Clint to get him out of situations though. He took a breath to start asking who she was.

He gave one last hesitation in case Clint had something better to say.

… …

Clint's mind was racing with the new information. There was too much going on that didn't add up.

Fury wanted him and Bruce to be alone; he wouldn't have sent them there if he knew that there were people around. The girl was unarmed and dressed as a civilian, but she walked like a trained agent, silent and deadly.

Still, it would be like Fury to leave out information for a mission. But not a mission like this. Clint was thrown, but he kept it from his expression. Carefully, he lowered his weapon further.

"We were not made aware that there was an asset in the area. What's your designation?"

"Oh," The girl's eyes widened, "I'm not a part of SHIELD." She shook her head furiously. "My father died about ten years ago. I'm working out here on my own, researching some theories and studying new plant life. I've never had problems. The locals live far enough away that I barely see them." She smiled. "I'm Doctor Alice Beckett, by the way." She smiled a very disarming smile, but it did nothing to calm Clint's nerves.

The girl's silver eyes moved from Clint over to Bruce. "You aren't from SHIELD," she commented lightly. "You don't carry yourself like a soldier. Are you out here for science as well?"

Clint unconsciously moved closer to Bruce, as if he needed protecting from the young girl, who was probably a hundred pounds soaking wet.

… …

Bruce resisted the urge to glare at Clint. Sure, people underestimated girls but really? Something didn't wash with her story though. She wasn't old enough to be out of college for ten years and nobody went into the jungle for research without a degree or more. As picturesque as the idea was, no one actually went off into the jungle to research plants. Animals, yes (see Jane Goodall) but not plants. Beckett didn't ring a bell, although botany wasn't his strong point.

She was a little bit too curious, too questioning to be trustworthy. Yet, she didn't seem a threat. She did, however, have a sweet smile.

"No," he replied simply, not clarifying if that was in response to her question about science or him being from SHIELD. It was obvious he wasn't a soldier; he didn't react like one despite him being nearly the right build. Plus, he was in his usual slacks and a shirt instead of flexible high-tech materials that hugged every muscle like a second skin.

It looked like Fury's plan of them apologizing to each other in complete isolation for a week had gone out the window. At least he wouldn't have to spend it in silence.

… …

Clint glanced back at Bruce when he spoke a one word answer and then fixed his eyes back on the girl who looked a bit taken aback. Her friendly nature changed a bit to nervousness.

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting," she apologized, her smile still 'sweet' but a bit shaky. Clint realized they were probably the first humans she'd seen in a while. In their defense though, while they were being rude, she was somewhat of a threat. "I'll leave you two to it then," Alice offered, taking a careful step back towards the safety of the jungle. "If you need anything my cabin isn't far from here, just over that ridge about a mile." She pointed to the West.

Clint nodded but remained silent. He would have to scope out the place later that night, in order to determine her threat level for sure. Once the girl was gone, Barton glanced back to Bruce and moved towards the fire pit.

"Let's eat first, then I'll teach you how to stake out a possible threat," Clint offered with mocked enthusiasm.

… …

Bruce very nearly rolled his eyes before remembering that Clint could see him. He looked down at the two fish in his hands.

"Do you have a small knife?" he asked. Of course Clint had one but just asking for it would be a bit rude. He didn't really know what sort of fish he was holding but he knew how to clean them.

Staking out Alice's lab wasn't his idea of fun but he was curious. There was something wrong here and Clint would be able to see what it was.

"How do you like your fish?" he asked with the smallest hint of humour. Not that he had much to work with and he wasn't a Cordon Bleu anyway. Basically it was big fish pieces or small fish pieces, the choice was Clint's.

… …

Clint moved towards the fire pit but turned back when Bruce asked for a knife; he pulled the one free from his boot sheath and handed it to the scientist.

"Don't cut yourself." He smirked before lowering himself down and arranging the wood over the kindle Bruce had already supplied for the pit.

His leg protested, but he hid the discomfort expertly and focused on his task. He glanced over at Bruce when the physicist asked how he liked his fish.

"Raw and encased in rice and seaweed," he joked back. He and Natasha had a thing for Sushi. The expensive kind. "But considering we lack the proper ingredients cooked and gut free is good."

Using two pieces of flint he'd found, Clint struck them together and caused a spark to catch the kindle. He carefully coaxed the fire to life before sitting back and stretching out his leg.

His mind was focused on Alice. He wanted to go check out her cabin now and see if she was telling the truth about being alone. The girl seemed alone. The way she approached two men in the jungle unarmed was odd, unless she was lonely. Loneliness drove people to do things that weren't necessarily safe. He knew from experience.

… …

Bruce hesitated before he was sure that Clint was joking about the cutting bit. Of course the archer hadn't been on the helicarrier when he had had his little outburst in front of Fury.

"Sorry but sushi isn't my signature dish. Gut free, however is my specialty." He quipped. He proceeded to gut the fish, piling the remains to be buried later. Fish guts were an unpleasant side effect. He picked up a stick, skewered a fish and handed it to Clint.

"Gut free, as requested." He held out his own to toast over the fire. "Anyone bring marshmallows?" It was awkward, the light banter between them, but it was better than silence.

He wondered how often Alice saw people, holed up in a cabin miles away from anyone. She had apparently chosen that. He didn't think he would be able to live cut off from the world if he didn't have the other guy hanging over him. Being away from people was a choice he made for others, not one he would ever have made for himself. It was odd the think that once, he had been a social person.

… ….

Clint raised an eyebrow at Bruce at the marshmallow comment and took the offered fish on a stick. He remained silent for a second, contemplating Bruce's attitude. The man made a point to be clear he wanted distance between them, yet here he was joking around. Maybe it was a defense mechanism. Clint was still sure the man didn't want them to be friends. This time Clint wouldn't fall for the act.

But he wasn't one to be rude either.

"Thanks," he offered kindly before falling quiet, propping his stick and fish over the fire with two different logs he'd gathered, one to hold the end in place and the other to hold the fish over the fire. Now he just had to wait to turn it after one side was cooked.

"Sorry, SHIELD's kitchen doesn't keep marshmallows in stock." He shrugged a shoulder. The food at SHIELD was actually pretty terrible. Healthy with a side of disgusting. Clint missed Tony's well stocked kitchen.

"So." Clint cleared his throat, to get back to business. "Fury wants me to teach you a few things about self-defense too."

… …

Bruce looked up in surprise. Was Fury nuts? The answer, almost undoubtedly was yes.

"Self-defense? Fury wants you to start punching me? I don't think that's a good plan," he said softly. Sure he had hit back at the jerk outside the bar but he had been lucky and fought hard for control. Hard enough to have a debilitating headache for a week and not been able to leave his bed or have the lights on. Self-defense wasn't something he had thought he would need, but he quite liked the idea of not having to let the other guy out just to save his skin.

"Okay, if you're sure you want to. On one condition. If I say we stop, we back away before you get hurt. You may be able to floor me with both hands tied behind your back but I don't want the other guy thinking you're a punching bag." He was pretty sure he could judge exactly how close he was to losing control but it was still a stupidly dangerous thing to suggest.

He was angry at himself and the other guy had a habit of taking that out on things nearby. Breakable things.

… …

Clint snorted.

"No, I'm not just going to start punching you. That isn't how I teach scientists, Doctor." Not that Clint had taught someone who wasn't an agent for a while, it didn't mean he hadn't. "But I agree with Fury that you should learn how to defend yourself without the Hulk. Someday, somehow you might not have the big guy to fall back on and you'll be left vulnerable."

It might be cruel or uplifting for Bruce to hear that, Clint wasn't sure. All he knew was that it was the truth. Someone somewhere might come up with a way to keep Bruce from hulking out and finish the doctor off. It wasn't something Clint wanted to happen, whether they were friends or not. Clint didn't want his teammate...former teammate to die.

"But we can stop whenever you need a break," Clint promised. Although he wasn't thrilled Bruce was still bad talking his other half. Clint liked the Hulk, and the Hulk liked him. At least as far as he knew. The big guy had gone out of his way to save the archer's life in Alaska.

Turning his fish, Clint glanced off to where Alice walked off to. "So what was your read on our new neighbour, Doctor?" he asked conversationally.

… …

The thought that someone could find a way to get rid of the other guy was at the same time a comforting thought and a knife in the belly. Bruce wanted it so badly; he spent every minute in his lab back at the tower searching for a way. Tony side-tracked him occasionally but that was his main focus; getting rid of the other guy. That was all he was trying to do. Afterwards he could go back to trying to solve the world's problems through science, helping Tony on projects and such.

He left his more melancholy thoughts and focused on what Clint said next. Alice.

"There's something fishy about her." He scrunched up his face as he realized what he had just said. "That was not intentional. She seems pretty harmless, but then, so do I." He smiled wryly. "I guess there are a few too many odd things for us to simply believe her." He didn't add that she was sweet and a bit too pretty to be stuck out in the wild on her own. He mentally frowned at the thought. Where had that come from?

… …

"I'm surprised Fury didn't know she was here," Clint added. "He would have informed me if there were civilians in the area, and he didn't."

The fish was cooked now, so Clint started to eat bits of it. He honestly wasn't overly hungry. Lack of proper sleep did that to a person. He ate enough for show and threw the rest in the fire. "When you're ready, we'll take a walk." Clint said, moving to his bag and pulling out a few things. He also adjusted his quiver on his back and checked the tension of his bow string.

Once Bruce was ready, Clint handed him a loaded gun in a holster and waited for the doctor to strap the weapon on, giving him direction when he needed it. It was Clint's back holster, one of his favourites, so he hoped that the Hulk didn't come out to play.

"We'll need to tread quietly so I'm going to teach you to walk like a ninja3. Be excited," Clint deadpanned before starting with his instructions. "First you need to be aware of your path and where you're stepping. Avoid stepping on large sticks and tripping over rocks. Walk on the balls of your feet, don't put down your heels unless you need a balance check or you stop."

With a wave Clint led the way into the jungle, moving silently through the brush. By the time they came upon Alice's cabin Bruce had gotten the hang of stealth walking. They hid in the bushes on top of a hill overlooking the cabin silently.

Trained eyes scanned the area. There was no overly high tech security system, no trip wires, and no cameras. Carefully Clint turned his gaze back to the cabin and watched the window, his body as still as a statue.

His muscles tensed and his focus zeroed in on Alice as she passed by a window. From where they were they had a decent view inside. The cabin was a good size. A kitchen was in view. Currently, the girl was watching a coffee pot dribble out a cup of caffeine.

Past the kitchen was what looked like a lab. Samples of plants and scientific equipment were placed everywhere. On the outside looking in it looked like Alice's backstory checked out. She was a scientist working alone...wherever they were, in the middle of the jungle, alone.

But why?

She was young. Younger then Bruce or Tony, yet she was titled a Doctor. "You know more about science then me, what do you think she's doing with the lab? Or can you tell from here?" Clint whispered, refocusing on Bruce for a moment.

… …

Bruce squinted through his glasses, trying to make out the room beyond the windows. It was slightly blurry and he wished he had Clint's eyesight.

"I can't see enough to be sure, but it looks like she's studying plant DNA," he answered slowly. "That's a pretty powerful microscope. Can you see the trademark on the side? It looks like one of Tony's. If that's the case then she's lying, it's only been in production for a year or so. It's also a bit too cumbersome for her to lag all the way here. There must be a road or airstrip nearby that can hold something a bit more conventional than what we came in."

He looked over the rest of the cabin. It was reasonably big spacious, the upper floor jutted over the bottom one to form a porch. He made a mental note to tell Alice that she had a missing roof tile. A slightly tamed area that served as a garden was dotted with a haphazard allotment of plants and a scrawny goat bleated for no apparent reason.

Alice had disappeared now into the depths of the house beyond their sight. Apart from the microscope, nothing seemed amiss.

"Everything else looks fine, unless you can see something I can't." Bruce took off his glasses, his eyes tired from squinting. He really needed to get them checked; he felt it was time for a new prescription.

… …

Clint adjusted his eyes back towards the cabin and answered. "Not one of Stark's, it looks like an older machine too," he supplied the answer easily.

The archer frowned but accepted that so far the girl's story panned out so far.

"Let's head back. I'll teach you some defensive moves before you go to sleep" he casually announced that he wasn't sleeping, but he knew he could wave it off with a simple 'I'm taking first watch' type of deal.

Carefully Clint edged back from the hill and then got to his feet. His leg felt a bit stiff from the position it had been, but it warmed up and Clint was able to hide his limp fairly well.

Back at camp, Clint eyed their stuff to make sure nothing was missing and walked over to the river to splash some water on his face before turning back to Bruce.

"Okay, Doctor." He stood and walked over to Banner. "Try to hit me," Clint said, knowing he could easily dodge or block Bruce without worry that the man would get a hit in. Tony still couldn't manage to get a hit in and they'd been sparring together for a long while.

… …

Bruce rolled his eyes and bent his knees, ready to start. He knew that his chances of actually landing a hit on Clint were so remote he wasn't even worried about hurting him. That didn't stop him trying.

His first punch was a bit pathetic, he had to admit. The second hit Clint's arm with a bit more force but still fell aside harmlessly.

"Any hints or am I just meant to hit you until you take pity on me and pretend I managed to land one?" he asked lightly.

He was only now realizing how lucky he had been that night outside the bar. He really had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't naturally strong, more hardy than athletic. It had been more blind chance than any skill that had kept the thug from beating him blue.

"Hitting you hurts, you're like a concrete wall," he grumbled with a small smile, trying to break the ice slightly.

… …

Clint moved out of the way of another hit as his lips twitched into a smile/smirk.

"First I want to see what you know, and aside from basic aim, it's apparent you don't know much." Gently he caught Bruce's hand mid-air to stop it from hitting his nose. "For one, you keep aiming for the same general area, switch it up, and keep your enemy guessing. Don't give them any advantages."

They continued for a while, until Bruce seemed to be getting a bit more comfortable with the idea of hitting someone and then Clint called it a night.

"Alright, try and get some sleep. We'll work on tracking tomorrow."

… …

Bruce nodded and let Clint take a step past him before swinging again. He landed his fist gently on the archer's back, not actually trying to hurt him.

"Like that?" he asked, making sure that Clint could see his smile to show that it wasn't meant as a threat.

The hardest part hadn't been landing the punches on Clint, that was impossible. It was trying to hurt someone. It wasn't natural for Bruce. Still, he guessed hitting someone would hurt less than the other guy hitting them.

He unrolled the paper thin sleeping bag Natasha had given him and began to take off his shoes.

"Let's hope the bed bugs don't bite."

… …

Clint resisted his typical reflex to someone trying to punch him when he wasn't expecting it and locked up his muscles. His mouth twitched into a satisfied smile, at last Bruce was learning, even if it nearly got them both killed.

"Yeah, something like that," he agreed then watched carefully as Bruce snuggled down.

Once he was sure the scientist was out Clint moved back through the jungle, back to Alice's cabin. The lights were on still, she had a generator outside that supplied electricity. He wanted to know who she worked for; she wasn't out here working alone.

Even if her father worked for SHIELD, Clint knew the girl wouldn't have this much money to work alone. Although, there had been nothing said about the mother, so that was always a possibility.

When Clint was satisfied nothing had changed in the threat level he returned to Bruce silently and watched over the man. The night stretched on and Clint dozed in short cat naps, like he had been doing lately to avoid nightmares and passing out from sleep deprivation.

The sun rose and Clint stretched his muscles, specifically those in his leg and moved to wake Bruce.

… …

Bruce felt the hand on his shoulder and snapped his eyes open. He relaxed when he saw Clint's face. Realizing that the archer most probably hadn't slept, opting to keep watch instead, he stifled the yawn that came automatically.

He didn't mention it though, Clint knew better than to let himself get too tired when on a mission.

"Morning. So what's the timetable today, prof?" he asked, splashing his face with water from the stream. He was starting to enjoy the trip now; it was no longer as incredibly awkward as before. Still, it was like walking on ice and one wrong world could break the whole thing.

By tracking, he wondered if Clint had meant Alice. It felt like it would be an odd invasion of the girl's privacy if they just randomly started watching her. Not that he wasn't curious; he'd just prefer meeting her properly.

… …

"No time table, I don't want -" Clint's voice trailed off. He was about to say 'to stress you out' but realized immediately that Bruce would take that the wrong way. "I don't want to put a timeline on learning. This isn't a classroom. At least, not a normal classroom." Clint shrugged, not looking the doctor in the eye for a moment.

"What we're going to do is go out and trail after something, I'm going to teach you a few tips on finding trails and hiding trails and then we're going to play an old fashion game called Hide and Seek. You're going to hide, and I'm going to try and find you. Sound good?"

Clint knew if they switched it around and Bruce was trying to find him they'd be out wandering around in the jungle for the entire day.

"We'll take a break to eat later," he promised.

For now the SHIELD agent had decided to avoid Alice at all costs. She was an annoyance, but so far not a threat.

… …

Hiding, well that was something he could do. But there was no way he was comfortable with being once again tracked down. Clint's mind worked in some odd ways; he imagined causes for stress where there were none and yet walked straight into an even worse scenario.

Bruce didn't say anything though; the man was doing his best.

"Sounds good," he answered with a cheerful smile. "Better start with elephants, even I could find those." That said he hadn't seen any elephants so finding some may be a bit harder. Not that he expected Clint to take him up on that, the man could take a joke.

… …

Clint smirked, but didn't laugh at the doctor's comment.

"We'll see what we can find," he offered lightly.

They ended up tracking small animals. Clint spent a good amount of time explaining dummy trails and how to hide tracks and avoid leaving signs of being in an area. He was thorough in his explanations and was confident Bruce had a good foundation when they stopped.

"Okay, now for the hide and seek portion of the day." Barton clapped his hands together and motioned for Bruce to go off into the jungle. "I'll give you a fifteen minute head start."

… …

Bruce took a second to look around then walked off in a random direction, keeping as quiet as he could. He doubled back creating a fair amount of mess before retracing his steps and continuing in his original direction. Once he was out of Clint's earshot he broke into a steady run, following a game trail.

Clint would find him, of course. Then again Bruce was very good at running and even better at disappearing altogether. They had forgotten to set a perimeter in which they would stay. Bruce decided not to go too far, he did want to be relatively near camp when it was time to head back.

The jungle was so thick that he had to move slowly, pulling branches back to hide his trail as he went. He couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him.

Slowly his old mind-set came back.

He was being hunted.

No, he thought, it's just a game.

He was running, but they had trucks, guns, dogs.

It's just Clint.

They wanted him in a cage, chained up.

He began to panic, looking for a break in the trees.

The cabin loomed up ahead, he was there before he registered heading towards it. Panting, he stopped by the wall to catch his breath. Maybe when Clint found him he would explain how it hadn't been such a good idea. He mentally kicked himself for letting go of his emotions that easily. Luckily, there was no one around to see.

He lifted his head and let out an inaudible groan.

There was.

… …