The next morning Tony kept himself busy in one of his labs in the tower, working on something, he's been kinda secretive about. He hasn't told anyone what's it supposed to be. Not even Pepper, his assistant. That disturbed her a little bit, but she quickly forgot about it with having a company to help Tony run.
"Incoming call from SHIELD, sir. Agent Hill is on the line." JARVIS told him.
Tony's lips formed in a small smile.
"Put her on speaker."
"Hey, Maria, what's up?" Tony began.
Before he could say more, she cut him off.
"Listen, Tony. Barton just called, they got the intel we needed, but they've been compromised and fled under heavy fire. They're hiding in a safe house, but they don't know how long they can hold. I'm sending you their coordinates. We need you to fly there and get those thugs of their back and provide cover for them to reach the LZ. Got it?"
Tony stopped working immediately.
"Yeah, got it. Got the coordinates, JARVIS?"
"Yes, sir." The AI replied.
"I'll get them home, Maria, don't worry."
He heard her sigh a little at the other end of the line.
"I sure hope you will, Tony. Watch yourself." And with that she hung up.
Tony was now really glad he'd started with the repairs of his Mark VII armor right after the Chitauri invasion.
"The suit has been assembled, sir."
"Great, let's do it."
As Tony was closing in to Hawkeye's and Widow's position, he already saw the hordes of hostiles that were following them. Had he been a few moments late, he wasn't sure there would've been much left of those two.
He took some of them out while airborne, then landed and took care of the others that had taken cover when he was still in the air firing at their comrades. He called through the radio.
"Hawkeye, Widow, how're you holding up?"
Barton's voice came through the comm link.
"Well, we both have been shot, but nothing too serious. Still alive. You got here just in time."
"Yeah, I can see that. C'mon, let's get outta here. The coast is clear. We gotta get to the LZ while it still is. There may be reinforcements on the way."
This time it was Natasha who responded.
"Yeah, we better go." She sounded a little weak.
Clint and Natasha left the safe house, their weapons still raised. Tony was standing right in front of the front door they came out trough. He noticed Natasha's limp on her left leg and then he saw the bullet hole in her thigh. Barton's been shot as well, one bullet came through his right shoulder and the other just scratched his right side. The wounds weren't even bandaged. Tony guessed there was no time with that heat on them.
"Stark, get back in the air and provide cover and be our eyes." Natasha said.
Tony nodded.
"Got it." And flew right up. "You're good to go as far as I can see. But we better be quick."
They were making their way through the landscape to the LZ as fast as they could with Natasha and Clint both injured. Suddenly something appeared on Tony's HUD.
"Guys, GET DOWN!" he yelled.
They did as they were told immediately and then saw why Tony told them to do so.
There was a tank before them maybe half a mile away and it was already firing at Tony in the air. He managed to dodge the first couple of shots, but one of them hit him and he fell down out of the sky. They heard him yell.
"Enough games!" he rocketed back in the air just in time before another rocket hit him and took aim. He fire his anti-tank rocket out of the right forearm of the suit and a moment after the tank burst in flames after a big explosion.
"Let's hurry, guys, we're almost there, common." Natasha and Clint heard he was trying to catch his breath. They got up from the ground surprisingly quick considering their injuries and began to run. The chopper has already landed. When they finally reached it, Tony made sure, there were no more hostiles around and signaled the pilot it was safe to take off.
Barton and Romanoff seated themselves on the floor of the 'copter and began to take care of each other's wounds.
Tony flew beside the chopper until the reached the SHIELD base in Russia where they all boarded a speed jet. They would be home in a couple of hours.
Maria was pacing nervously in her office waiting for Tony, Natasha or Clint to report on their situation. She tried to do some work, but she simply couldn't concentrate. That wasn't like her. She didn't remember the last time some mission she was on or one that she was supervising, that had gotten her nervous like this one.
Get yourself together, Maria, this is not your first time, head in the game. Common, be Maria Hill, for Christ sake. She thought. She really didn't know what was going on with her. Stay calm, just like Phil taught you. Remembering deceased agent Coulson helped her a bit, he always knew how to react in situations, and always kept his calm.
Then her earpiece buzzed.
"Agent Hill. Maria, come in."
She felt a huge stone fall of her heart. It was Tony.
She touched the earpiece and asked him.
"Do you have them? Are they alright?"
"Yeah, got them. They've both been shot, but it's not too serious. We just boarded the speed jet on the Russian SHIELD base. ETA approximately 5 hours."
Maria let out a big sigh of relief.
"Were you worried, agent Hill?" his tone suggesting he meant worried about him.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"I am always worried about my agents in the field."
Tony smiled and chuckled a little.
"Of course. Stark out."
Maria sat into her chair and grabbed the papers that were laying on her desk. She found her concentration was back all of a sudden and she could carry on with her work. The smile on her face stayed there for a few moments and then it was replaced by the small frown she always had while working.
She was Maria Hill again.
Tony, Natasha and Clint were all sitting in the jet, the duo of assassins dozing off. Tony kept an eye on them, just to make sure none of them were in shock or just unconscious from the blood loss, but fortunately they were fine, just getting some shut eye, because they were exhausted due to the fight. Tony himself could use some sleep, but he just couldn't bring himself to it. One reason being that someone needed to keep an eye on Hawkeye and Black Widow because they were wounded and the other reason was, that he somehow couldn't fall asleep on the jet. That surprised him a little, he never had any problems sleeping in one of his private planes. Probably 'cause I have a bed in those he thought. He couldn't fall asleep sitting. At least not on a plane.
Couple hours later he came to the duo. Natasha had her head on Clint's shoulder and one hand behind his back. Tony touched Natasha's shoulder and shook her a little.
"Guys, c'mon, were almost home."
Natasha's eyes shot open and her free hand went for the piece on her leg. Clint, feeling her move opened his eyes as well and wanted to go for his knife, but Tony held his hands up and he quickly realized where he is and that they are safe.
"Woa, now agent Romanoff, it's me. Tony." He said with his hands up, because it took her a little longer to acknowledge her surroundings. She put the gun back in the thigh holster and strapped it closed.
Tony smirked.
"Remind me, not to wake you anymore."
Natasha fixed him a glare.
"What?" that was all that left her mouth.
"We're two minutes from home base. Get ready."
Barton just nodded, Natasha mumbled "Okay" and tried to get up from her seat. She hissed from pain and fell back into the seat.
Clint came to her and held out both his hands.
"C'mon, Tasha."
She slipped her palms into his and he gently pulled her up and then he threw her left arm on his shoulders and put his right hand behind her back, his fingers on her side firm, but gentle.
When they landed, Tony got out and waited for Clint and Natasha before the plane's cargo door. They slowly made their way out, Clint still holding her and helping her walk. All three of them started walking to the door that led inside the helicarrier. Tony made out a figure standing just beside the door. A black-haired woman in a SHIELD uniform with her hair in a bun. Maria. He smiled a little, he was really glad to see her. Well, he would've been more glad, had it been different circumstances, but this would have to do.
When they got to her, she looked at them and said.
"Barton, Romanoff, get to medical, get those wounds taken care of. Good work out there, agents."
They just nodded at her and got inside, slowly limping to the medical bay.
Tony stood in front of Maria. He was looking at her, but couldn't read her. Bet she learnt that from Fury he thought.
"You too, Tony. Good work bringing them back home."
He nodded.
"That was my mission. I tend to carry out my missions."
That finally got her to break her poker face and smile a little.
"Yes, I can see that. You look like you could use medical as well." Maria said.
"Yeah. Got shot down by a tank. Nothing I haven't been through before."
Maria chuckled and went fore the door. Tony followed her. They got in and walked together to the nearest intersection. When they reached it, Maria turned to him.
"Get to medical and get checked. We'll let you know when the briefing starts." And with that she started to walk away. Tony hollered after her.
"Plus I had to get back, otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance to ask you out again." She stopped in her tracks and turned over her shoulder. Tony raised his left eyebrow on her and than sent her a wink before continuing on his way to medical. Maria started walking again as well shaking her head to herself a little. A little full of yourself, ain't you, Tony? She thought. But that was simply him.
And she like it.
