"Come on," Clint yelled from the control deck of the training room of Avengers Tower. "You can fight better than that. What happened to the champion swordsman of the state of New York?"
I had been training with Clint for about a month now and it had been rough.
"Arrows are very different from fencing foils," I tucked and rolled to a holographic target. I pulled out an arrow and shot it at the target. I swung around and kicked another target. I was also having fight training from Natasha. I was learning to incorporate both into my style of fighting.
"Bishop," Clint said over the mic. "What did I tell you about the roundhouse kicks?"
I shot three more arrows at the moving targets before I turned to face the control deck. "Your girlfriend says otherwise."
"Hey," I do a backflip and take out two more targets. "Don't take…"
"Yeah I know," I shoot another arrow at the target climbing towards the flag mounted on the wall. "Don't take your eyes off the target."
Today's training activity was capture the flag. Me, all by myself, vs. Clint, who was in the control booth controlling 20 holographic faceless people shaped targets. Although, the month off from school for "self defense" training was nice, getting to hang around the tower with the avengers and others.
"Five targets left Katie," this is where it is going to get hard. I shoot two with one arrow. One comes up behind me and grabs me. Kick the knee out, slip out from the arms, and knock out on the face. I look up and see the last two. One is on its way up to grab my flag, and the other is sprinting toward me. I bend down and aim a grappling arrow to just above where my flag is, wait for the target to get in the spot I needed him in, then I shoot. The arrow sticks into the wall of the training room and through the sprinting target. I hold on tight to my bow and swing up to kick the other target out of the way from grabbing my flag. I press the release on the bow to belay down the wall. I shoot down the last target and the targets disappear. The door to the training room unlocks and Clint enters. "Good job, but you didn't account for me." and I watch as he runs toward my flag. I am for his feet and shoot a putty arrow. He sticks in place but shoots a grappling arrow to pull down my flag. I run over with one of the sharper arrows and cut his line and then I disarm him.
"Well, I underestimated you," Clint says as I help him up. "Can I have my stuff back?"
"Not till after we are out of the training room."
"Smart girl," we walk toward the exit. "Food?"
"Actually, I have to get back to the apartment. My first day back tomorrow and all."
"Oh yeah," we walk out of the training room and up the stairs to the locker room. "Mansion tomorrow?"
"Yeah," I give him his bow and quiver back. "Hacking with Tony and Natasha."
"Sounds like fun. Are you going to shut down Stark Industries again?"
"That was one time, and it was back up after an hour." It was a simple mistake. Tony miscalculated my hacking skills and started me out with simple coding. While he was explaining how to code, I hacked the Stark Industries server from my phone under my desk and shut down the tower and the mansion in five minutes. I also set up about sixteen different passcodes to re-access the server to get the mansion running again. After that, he decided that the security needed to be upgraded and that I was much more advanced than he thought.
"I heard that Tony coded a backdoor into his new security system." I laughed.
"I heard that the Vision can be hacked so he only speaks in binary or dial up tones." I got changed into my street clothes and tucked away my retractable bow and a few arrows into my bag.
"No way," Clint looked over at me as he was packing his bag.
"That's what I've heard…" It's true. I heard Tony and the Vision talking about working that bug out of his system. I looked at my phone, 30 new texts from Susan. It was 15 minutes after my "classes" were supposed to be done. "Shit. I have to head home. I didn't realize the simulation went that long."
"Want a ride?" He held up a set of keys. Quinnjet keys. Damnit Clint.
"Nah," I held up my own set of keys. Mine were car keys. "I've got my own. Also, I'd rather not have to bypass another Quinnjet security system so you can get home faster." I called Susan on our way to the elevator and let her know that I was safe and was heading home now. When the elevator opened, Jessica's fiancé, Luke, stood in the middle.
"Hey Luke," Clint said. Luke didn't look too happy. "I was just getting her down to the garage."
"I can handle it from here Barton." I gave Clint a quick wave goodbye and stepped into the elevator with Luke. He was parked next to me in the garage and he followed me home, and then escorted me up to the penthouse, where Jessica and Susan were waiting. I rolled my eyes, where Susan's worry was real; Jessica's was fake to keep Susan sane.
"What made you so late," Susan ran over and hugged me.
"I just lost track of time training, and there are no phones aloud in the training room anyway." I gave her my best smile. She always worried too much about me. "Susan, I am going to be fine. I go back to school tomorrow, which is a secure campus, and then I have training after right down the street, and I have an escort for that too. Go on your honeymoon. You have pushed it back enough. I will be fine. I promise."
"Okay," she sighed. "Jess are you sure you got her."
"Totally," Jessica smiled and wrapped an arm around Luke. "We both do. She is like a sister to me."
"And Kate," Susan turned to me. "Please don't cause any trouble, okay?"
"I promise," I held my hand over my heart. "Plus, I am a changed girl." And with that, Susan grabbed her bags that had been sitting next to the door for the month I had been home, and went off on her honeymoon.
"So," I sighed. "Susan and Collin are off on their honeymoon, dad and Heather are back on the boat, and I am here alone, again."
"No," Jessica said. "Luke and I will be here with you till someone comes back. It will be like a vacation for us."
"Jess, you practically live in the guest room now. How is that a vacation?"
"Well, it's more of a vacation for Luke. We need a break from hell's kitchen every once in a while."
"I see now. What is it like down there? I heard that there are some really cheap apartments there, and one of my dad's old publishing mills."
"No way," Jess began walking me to my room. "If you can't handle central park, I don't think you can handle living in Hell's Kitchen." And with that she shut my door and yelled goodnight as she was walking down the hall. I grabbed my robe and some towels and walked into my bathroom to take a shower. Sometime I really hate adults. They always mistreat the people who are younger than them. The other thing is, I am also an adult. Yet everyone seems to treat me like I am five. I step out of my shower and get dressed into my pajamas. Maybe one day they will treat me like I am a real adult who can actually handle herself when she gets kidnapped. Well, now I can. Maybe this would be something to talk to Clint or Nat about. Who knows maybe they are both over at Clint's apartment right now? I change out of my pajamas and into jeans and a sweatshirt. I grab my phone and shoot Clint a text.
Kate: Hey, need to talk, coming over…
Clint: with what?
Kate: I have my ways…
Clint: Okay what ever…
Kate: whatever is one word.
Clint: WHAT EVER!
Kate: Is Nat there too?
Clint: No… Why would she… be here in my apartment… with me… alone…
Kate: is she there or not?
Clint: yes… :(
I grab my bag and unlock my door. I sneak down the back hallway to the service elevator. I press the button that says garage and hide behind a bunch of boxes next to a janitor's cart. When the elevator reaches the garage, I step out and grab the car keys from my bag. Jess thinks that she has my only pair of car keys, but I had an extra set made for when my sister would take the keys for the car. Back before I was legal to drive. I dash between cars and reach a classic bug that is painted purple to cover the rust stains. I quietly open the door and sneak in and start the car. I drive out of the garage to Clint's apartment. The drive is about 15 minutes out of the good part of the city, but it is always good to be kind of out of the city anyway. When I finally reach the place, it looks kind of shabby. Also, creepy tracksuit guy is out front.
Kate: come down stairs and let me in… Creep at the front…
Clint: Use what I taught you, and climb up the fire escape. Conceder it a training exercise.
Kate: I kind of don't want to freak your neighbors out.
Clint: They have to deal with me doing the same thing
Kate: true.
I put my bow on my shoulder and jumped to pull down the ladder to the fire escape. The ladder squeaked and made a ton of noise coming down. I climbed as fast as I could and then pulled it back up behind me. I try to be as quiet as I climb the stair up to the top floor. When I finally reach the top floor, I jimmy the lock with my knife, open the window and silently climb into the room. The room is pitch black, I can't hear any movement, but then I hear quiet steps coming up from behind me. In one swift movement, I swung my bow off of my shoulder, nocked an arrow and held it to the person's jugular.
"Whoa," the voice said. It was Clint. "You could poke someone's eye out with that."
"No shit Clint," I placed the arrow back in the quiver. "Why are your lights off?"
"Clint," Natasha walked in to the room turning the light on. "Are you done trying to freak the girl out? Come on in Kate"
"Thank you," I walked by Clint and followed Nat into the large open kitchen/living room area.
"What did you need to talk to us about?" Clint handed Natasha a cup of tea and walked us over to a couch and an armchair.
"I just feel that the constant live-in security system isn't really needed every night," I sigh. "Jess and Luke are great, but Jess treats me like I am ten, and all Luke does is grumble."
"Luke feels the same way. He just wants Jess back in Hell's Kitchen so they can get used to living in their new apartment." Clint sipped what I was guessing was tea from his cup. "He wants to start a married life with her, but she cares for you and doesn't want to leave you alone."
"She locks me in my room at like nine every night. I don't know what to do with her."
"I may have an idea," Natasha spoke up. "Clint was just talking about escaping for a few days-"
"Yeah, to my farm. Not to the penthouse of some building in New York."
"Will you just shut up for a minute?" Natasha shot him a look. "Your next vacation is in another month? Right?"
"Like two weeks, why?" I have no idea where she is going with this.
"How about we get revenge on the guys who kidnapped you." Natasha suggested with a vengeful glint in her eye.
"No way," Clint turned toward her. "There is no way I am sending her back into their hands."
"I won't be going in alone," I looked up at him. "If I am understanding this correctly, Natasha wants to send the three of us in."
"So," Natasha turned toward him. "Are you in?"
Clint thinks it over. He looks like it pains him to be doing this. He looks at both of us. "Fine," he rolls his eyes. "But I am not stitching anyone up this time."
We sit and chat about the plan for a while before Clint's phone rings. He walks over to the wall and picks it up.
"Hello?" he gets quiet for a moment, leaning on the wall, inspecting his scuffed up shoes and then sighs. "Yes, she is here. Yes, she is safe. It's Natasha and I with her. I don't know, Kate?"
"Yeah," I knew who was on then other end of the line.
"How did you get here?"
"The bug."
"She says the bug," he got quiet again. "Listen. I will send her back now. Okay? Yes she will be fine. She drove here by herself didn't she? I know she made you a promise, but I am her mentor and she needed to talk." He got very quiet again. "Well, maybe if you didn't lock here in her room at nine every night she wouldn't be tempted to sneak out!" He yelled and then hung up.
"I will leave now." I got up and grabbed my quiver and bow.
"Tell Jess I am sorry," Clint yelled from the couch.
"Kay kay," I walked over to the fire escape. "See you tomorrow Nat." She waved. I climbed out the window and slipped down the ladder into the night. I hoped into my car and drove the 15 minutes back to the penthouse and then parked in the basement-parking garage. I took the real elevator up to the penthouse, where I figured Jess was already waiting for me.
The doors to the penthouse opened to Jess.
"Why did you go over to Barton's to talk to him? I know you better than he does. You know you can come to me with anything. What were you thinking? Those creeps could have kidnapped you again. Your sister would kill me if she knew what you were doing."
"Jess," Luke came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "She is fine. Let's just go to bed."
"He's right, Jess. Let's just talk this over during breakfast."
"Fine, but you are not off the hook." I walked back into my room and jess and Luke walked back into the guest room. I changed back into my pajamas and crashed in my bed.
The next morning, I woke up and put on my uniform for school. I walked down the stairs to Jess sitting at the table.
"Where is Luke?" I sat down.
"He went home," Jess sighed as she sipped her coffee. "He and I had a very long conversation last night about what to do about you. We came to the agreement that I need to back down a bit on watching over you. So I am going to pop in every once in a while, but you will be here alone most of the time. We need to start planning our wedding and we can't do that if I am here all the time."
"Alright," I sighed. I ate my cereal and grabbed my bag and walked to the elevator to the private car that was bringing me to school. My phone pinged with a text as I stepped into the elevator. Clint marked the message as urgent.
Clint: Don't go to school today. Something is wrong.
I rolled my eyes. Clint just wants to train more.
Kate: Why? I have missed enough already. I can't train with you everyday.
I step out of the elevator and get into the waiting car.
"Moring Kate," The driver said.
"Morning," I say. Then I look up from my phone to see one of the men grabbing me and the other driving off.
Clint: I think the ones who kidnapped you are coming for you.
I try and fight off the man who was in the back seat with me. He had a pretty good grip on me and was holding coliform towards my face.
Clint: Kate?
I bite down on his arm and he lets me go. I slam myself to the other side of the car and reach into my bag and the arrow I began keeping in my bag after Clint tried to spar on the street. I reach to the front of the car and stab the arrow into the driver's shoulder.
Clint: That's it. I am already on my way over.
The man in the backseat with me grabs me again. He pulls me backward so fast I cant grab the arrow from the driver's shoulder. I try jabbing him with my elbows, but I can't get a good shot on him.
Clint: I have a trace on your phone; they must have you. Be there soon.
He holds the cloth to my face and I act like I am knocked out. I can feel the effects taking over me. When he takes the cloth away, I lunge up and pull the arrow out of the driver's shoulder and stab the man in the backseat as fast as I can. I can feel my body getting heavy and the world spinning. I stab him in the shoulder too, barely missing the lung. I hear something land on top of the car. I lean on the other side of the car and watch as the car door gets ripped off of its hinges and a metal arm pulls out the man in the backseat. Clint swings in and says something to the man in the front seat. The man pulls the car over and gets out holding his hands up. The metal arm grabs him and I hear him slam against the roof of the car. My vision is beginning to get fuzzy and sounds are getting echoey.
"Hey Katie," Clint sounds like he is yelling down a tunnel. "Lets get you out of here. Back up has it handled."
"Okay," I mumbled. I felt myself moving, but I didn't move any of my limbs. Clint is carrying me, that's what is happening right now. I look behind him at the car and I see the metal arm and a man in blue physically interrogating the two men. Oh and there is Natasha, she is walking away from the men and towards Clint.
"I am so tired," I mumble.
"Don't worry Katie," Clint shifted me in his arms. "You can lie down in a minute."
"Don't call me Katie," I mumble as he sets me down on a cot in what I think is a jet. It must be the avengejet. I hear Natasha and Tony talking in the background.
"You will be safe with us here," Clint patted my head, and then I fell asleep.
