Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Marvel. I just have fun with their characters.

A/N

I know I said I'll publish one chapter per week but as the last one was short and people are asking for more and enjoying the story I decided to post two this weekend. Also, a big thankyou to all who are reviewing! Unfortunately as most of you weren't signed in I can't PM you to thank you personally but I appreciate every review. A big thanks also goes to UlvDakota and Midnight Star26 who both reviewed chapter 2.

Also thanks to everyone who's followed and favourited! Every email alert I get makes me so excited that people are enjoying this.

A huge thankyou also goes out to my Beta's, Midnight Star26 and jaguarspot. They both did a fantastic job of making this story better, as Midnight Star26 said it is very different from the original draft and it is largely thanks to these guys improving my writing style tremendously. Any remaining mistakes are mine.

The Spanish in this chapter was translated by jaguarspot.

I am an Aussie and have been to Melbourne in November so I speak from personal experience regarding what I write about it.

The Darkest hour is just before the Dawn. Old Proverb

Chapter 3: New Player

Melbourne, Australia: November, 1997

Clint liked Melbourne. It was cheery, bright, and the people as a whole were very friendly. In fact the only thing he didn't like was the weather, rain, rain, and surprise, surprise, more rain. Clint thought for a country that was supposed to have more desert area in relation to its size than anywhere else on earth it certainly rained a lot.

It was raining now; Clint was huddled into a waterproof trench coat as he crouched in an alley running surveillance on his target who was staying in one of the most expensive 4 star hotels this city had to offer. Why the man didn't just go to an equally priced 5 star he didn't know, rich people were complicated people and he'd never understood them, but personally he was glad the man didn't. This job was already complicated enough without adding 5 star security to the mix.

Alvaro Sandino was a wealthy Spanish business man who was currently holidaying in Melbourne with his wife of five years, Marina. Clint's client wanted him dead. However, just after Clint had accepted the contract Sandino had decided he needed a holiday and proceeded to pack up half his house and travel halfway around the world to get it. Why the contract on Sandino couldn't wait until he got home was beyond Clint, but his client had been insistent on the matter, even paying him an extra 100 thousand (US dollars) on top of the agreed sum to do the job now, hence the reason Clint was in Australia.

Glancing at the face of his waterproof watch, which read 10 pm local time (he always set his watch to the local time, it was one of the first things he did upon arriving in a different country), Clint decided he'd done enough surveillance for one night. He didn't think the Sandino's would go anywhere in this weather at this time of night, they'd just gotten back from some nightclub or other where they'd had dinner not 10 minutes ago. Clint hated it when there was no rhyme or reason to his target's actions, all his life Clint had looked for patterns and lived with them. Random actions didn't make sense; he liked to get to know his targets' routines better than they did so he could strike when the environment was in his favour, when no one was expecting anything and there was a clear escape route for him. The Sandino's actions were completely random. Sleeping in to a different time every morning, staying out till all hours at night at various clubs, eating at lots of different cafes, restaurants and food stands like any normal tourist did, all these things were combining to make Clint's current job a nightmare.

Clint decided even if they went out again tonight he wasn't going to watch them any longer. He was cold and wet, and to top it all off water had somehow managed to invade his brand new guaranteed waterproof jacket and was now dripping down his neck, the cold water making him shiver. Definitely time to call it a day.

Just as he was about to move a taxi pulled up in front of the hotel, it was painted the yellow and black common to all taxis in Melbourne so was easy to spot. As Clint watched a figure walked out of the hotel and called over their shoulder to someone standing just inside the entrance. Clint could hardly believe his luck, the figure getting into the taxi was none other than Marina Sandino. She was calling out to her husband Alvaro, who was standing just inside the lobby out of the rain. Clint's heart beat faster as he heard what she said.

"Cariño voy a salir un par de horas, no me esperes despierto. ¡Pórtate bien mientras no estoy!) (I'll be back in a couple of hours sweetie, don't bother waiting up for me. Be a good boy while I'm gone!)

This was perfect! All Clint had to do was eliminate Alvaro within the next hour and his wife wouldn't have a clue who had done it and wouldn't get involved in any way. Clint liked not getting the families of victims involved in the event if he could help it, they suffered enough with losing their loved ones. As the taxi drove away and Sandino went back indoors Clint debated his next move. He knew where the suite the couple had taken was located, on the fourth floor. He decided he'd have to go through the lobby of the building and use the elevator to get up there as the windows didn't open in their room; that was one of the first things he'd checked. As Clint was planning this the rain finally stopped, leaving him feeling more optimistic then he'd felt since the beginning about this job.

Clint walked up the steps to the hotel confidently, as if he was staying there. He knew the best way to blend into a situation was to act like you belonged and were comfortable, no matter what happened. It was a skill he'd learned at an early age that had always come in useful. All his weapons were hidden on his person; his special custom made bow was collapsed and concealed under his baggy black coat alone with a few arrows and of course his ever present knives, he never went anywhere without his knives.

Clint entered the lobby which was almost empty save for two or three people who looked bored, employees most likely. None of then gave him more than a glance, and all they saw was a man in a waterproof trench coat with a hood that was pulled right up, covering most of his face. He looked miserable and wet and like he just wanted a hot shower and to go to bed, no one thought there was anything unusual about that given the weather. Once Clint was in the elevator (which was empty save for him and not covered by a camera, he'd checked in advance) he rehearsed his plan in his head. The corridors on the third floor were deserted just as he'd hoped they would be, and the supply closet was within sight of the elevator and out of direct camera range. Cameras were installed at intervals; however that didn't worry Clint as there wouldn't be any cameras where he was going.

15 minutes later he stopped at the vent cover leading down into Sandino's room, the reason he was grateful the man hadn't decided to go with a 5 star. This building was old and had a large, open ventilating system; though it had been modernised technology-wise the size of the vents had remained the same. Sandino was fast asleep and snoring hard, so he didn't hear as Clint quietly removed his bow and snapped the limbs into place, careful not to move too much in the cramped space of the vent. The peaceful look on Sandino's face made Clint hesitate slightly before selecting an arrow; it was that slight hesitation that almost ruined his carefully made plans.

All Clint had to do was aim at Sandino's closed eye, ending this quickly. However Sandino chose that very moment to stir and mutter in his sleep before rolling over presenting his back to Clint. Angry with himself for the slight hesitation and losing the perfect eye shot as they were much easier when he couldn't get a good sight line to the chest Clint swiftly locked his emotions away and aimed for the man's heart.

Sandino didn't hear the slight noise of an arrow being carefully drawn so as not to hit anything, aimed between the bars of the vent cover (which were spaced surprisingly wide apart, again an old building feature) and then released with a slight hiss and the slap of a bowstring hitting an arm guard. Sandino wasn't aware when the arrow pierced his heart from behind, killing him instantly. He didn't hear his wife's screams when she arrived back almost three hours later and found him dead, a black shafted arrow sticking out of his back and the white hotel sheets he was lying on stained a deep red. He didn't hear anything ever again.

Undisclosed location

A knock sounded on the door of the office belonging to Colonel Nicholas Fury, a tall, dark skinned man who wore a black leather trench coat with a matching leather eye patch over his left eye. He was also the Director of a special government sponsored covert black ops/intelligence gathering organisation known as The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division, SHIELD to the layperson. Fury barked out a sharp 'enter' and didn't look up from his paperwork until his good friend and right hand man, Agent Phil Coulson, sat down on the opposite side of the desk. (He'd known who it was in advance as the door to his office consisted of one way glass so he could see out while no one could see in. It wasn't paranoia, it was survival instincts.)

He nodded a greeting and Phil returned it. Phil then spoke up.

"You asked to see me sir? I figured it must be urgent since you send for a face-to-face meeting instead of just dropping a file off. What's up sir?"

"Yes, I did ask to see you in person and enough with the 'sir' business Phil. I get enough of that from everyone else on this base. I don't know how often I have to tell you to call me Nick, or Fury, or even Director if you feel you must be more formal as I do direct this whole damn operation, just quit with the sir. I don't need it."

"Okay si-...I mean Nick."

Fury ignored that in favour of picking up a file lying on his desk. He then fastened his good eye on Phil.

"We have a new player in the assassination game. They first appeared on our radar two days ago and I want more information on them."

Fury handed Phil the file which he opened. It contained just two sheets of paper; the first one only had two names written on it, one above the other.

"This assassin apparently goes by the name of Hawkeye, or so my contact told me. Just three days ago he took out a man named Alvaro Sandino when he was holidaying in Australia with his wife. Took him out while he was asleep in his own bed in his room on the fourth floor of a 4 star hotel I might add, I don't think anyone I know would be able to accomplish a feat like that without a whole lot of backup and help. Also, no one saw him or heard anything unusual, it's like he was invisible, or a ghost."

Fury actually looked slightly troubled for a moment before looking straight at Phil.

"I want to know everything you can find out about this assassin Phil. If he's going to be a threat to world security he'll need to be taken care of as soon as possible."

Phil frowned.

"How on earth did he take out someone when they were sleeping in their own bed in a hotel room? I presume you checked the security footage?"

"Yes." Fury didn't sound happy. "It was one of the first things I did when I heard what had happened; the police went through it as well. No one went in through that door until his wife returned from a party three hours later. No one exited the room during this time and the windows couldn't be opened. I have no idea how he managed to pull a stunt like this one off, but it can't be ignored. Sandino wasn't only a wealthy business man but apparently he was also very high up in an undercover section of the government over there. Even I don't know the exact details, it's all very hush-hush, but we have to follow up on this. The Spanish government are looking into why someone would want Sandino dead and who that is likely to be, but they've asked personally for our help in finding and stopping this assassin."

Phil looked thoughtful.

"How do we know it was this assassin? There are any number of them out there, some we know about, some we don't. What makes you so sure it was this" he referred to the piece of paper, "Hawkeye, who did the deed?"

"Sandino was killed with a single arrow through his heart and there's only one assassin on earth who's known to use arrows to carry out his hits."

"Arrows? Did you just say Sandino was killed with arrows?"

Fury hid a smirk at the incredulous look on Phil's face. It took a lot to produce that kind of facial reaction out of his best agent. In fact it took a lot to produce any type of facial reaction out of said agent other than a raised eyebrow. Phil was famous for keeping a poker-face in place as the world fell apart around him. Not quite as famous as Fury was, but a pretty close second. Fury had simply had more practice at it.

This piece of news must have really surprised Phil. Fury understood how he felt, he'd felt pretty much the same when he'd first found this out. Phil was still in shock as he tried to wrap his head around what Fury had just told him.

"What kind of assassin uses ARROWS? They're like a...a dark age weapon, the type of things Robin Hood uses, the type of things that appear in movies, not the type of things that a modern day master assassin would use!"

"Yes, this mysterious marksman who we know virtually nothing about apparently acts like Robin Hood does in all the movies and uses arrows and presumably a bow to match. That's about all we've got to work on at the moment; I'm leaving it up to you to find out more. Don't disappoint me Phil; believe me I want to know how this happened just as much as you do. More than you do probably."

"Okay sir." Phil ignored the glare he received for his trouble and instead focused on skimming through what was written on the other sheet of paper, it was pretty much everything that Fury had just told him about this assassin, with a few other small details added. "I'll go and get started now. I'll let you know when I find out something of interest."

Fury nodded.

"Keep me updated. Good luck soldier."

"Thank you sir."

Fury looked up with murder gleaming in his one eye. Phil said hastily "Sorry sir, I meant thanks Nick" before he picked up the file and fled out the door. Fury was sure he heard a snicker just before the door closed fully.

Fury shook his head at the closed door, a smile tugging at his lips in spite of himself. Phil could be such a pain in the backside but Fury wouldn't want him any other way. Fury had been telling Phil for years to call him Nick when they were having a general conversation, yet Phil still insisted on addressing him as sir. Fury couldn't decide if Phil was simply being professional and showing some respect for his boss (as would have once been the case) or if he was doing it to be deliberately annoying. Knowing Phil as well as he did he suspected the later.

Over the course of their long friendship Phil had redefined the term annoying several times, and even taken it to a whole new level, one that Fury was sure shouldn't exist. Fury was damn proud of Phil however, and wouldn't let anyone in the organisation criticize or bad-mouth him. Coulson wasn't Fury's right hand man and his left eye for nothing, Fury knew that if anyone in the organisation had a chance of getting to the bottom of this problem it was Phil Coulson. And Fury was confident he would. All Fury had to do was sit back, give Phil a free rein, and wait for the results.

As Fury's office door clicked shut behind him Agent Phil Coulson walked down the corridor leading to the canteen, intending to get a fresh cup of coffee before heading back to his own office which was located a floor down from Fury's. On the way he thought about what Fury had told him.

Whoever this Hawkeye was he was obviously very good at remaining unseen and getting in and out of places undetected. Phil didn't know how he did it, unless he had invisibility or teleportation powers or could walk through walls. Any of these things were a possibility, what they knew about him at the moment could go on a postage stamp with room to spare. But it was best to go into any assignment with an open mind and not make any premature assumptions.

This was especially true when working with an elite US military/spy organisation that dealt with crazy and bizarre situations on an almost daily basis. The fact that this assassin killed with arrows of all things meant this case qualified as crazy already, and he hadn't even started his investigation. Phil was keen to see just what else he could find out.

Phil felt immensely grateful to Fury for giving him this assignment, and hoped that he wouldn't disappoint him. Someone of lesser rank could easily have done it; they didn't have a research department for nothing. This was only classified as a level 3 and Phil was a level 7 Agent directly below Director Fury and Alexander Pierce, the latter of whom didn't worry much about assignments or the day to day running of the organisation since getting promoted to a spot on the still brand new World Security Council. Using Phil's extensive skill set on this project might seem like a bit of a waste, but Fury knew how much Phil loved getting to the bottom of unusual problems and as Phil had no active assignments happening at the moment Fury had given this problem to him, no doubt in an attempt to keep him quiet and out of Fury's sight.

And this situation was certainly unusual, not to mention weird and vague. The only information they really had that was even halfway concrete was a name and the knowledge that this assassin used arrows to kill people with. Seriously, what kind of assassin uses arrows? A bow would take years of practice for someone to be able to use it with any real efficiency and was a lot more awkward then a gun to conceal and work with. Phil was really looking forward to finding out more about this enigmatic and elusive Hawkeye. He had a feeling that he was in for a wild ride.

End of chapter 3 and Phil's finally on the case. Poor Phil, he really has no idea what he's in for! Tune in next week to find out more and don't forget to review and let me know what you think of the story so far.