CHAPTER #4
They made Austin in good time and took a cab to the hotel. But they had no time to relax. Tomorrow night they'd have to do the break and enter at FuturePharm. Tonight they had to do some night surveillance. Clint had offered to do it himself, but Natasha was restless and said she'd come too. They picked up a pair of keys and motorcycle helmets at the front desk, that had been pre-arranged by S.H.E.I.L.D. They went to the parking garage. Their helmets were like the ones at Natasha's compound; equipped with computer and headsets. An hour ride and they were in range of the building, but instead of stopping they rode by at a normal speed, then circled the block and road back. A set of trees grew close to the electric fence that surrounded the property. They parked the bikes across and up the street at another industrial building. Then jogged across the street to the trees.
"Nice of the landscape designer to place these so close to the fence," Clint whispered.
"Give me a boost up?" Natasha asked.
Clint launched her up into one tree and climbed up another. This is what he normally did for the agency so Clint took lead. He could see just as well at night as he did during the day, so he passed the night vision glasses to Natasha. He signalled that he wanted to get closer to the guard hut and entrance. She watched him launch himself from the tree over the fence and land lightly on his feet. He scanned around and then waived her over. Natasha followed and when she was beside him, they moved forward sticking to the shadows and shrubbery.
After watching the guards around the entrance for a for a few minutes, Natasha whispered, "I've got this, go check the rest out."
He nodded and told her to watch for him and hand signals, since they hadn't brought their ear radio communication sets. He was beside her one minute and gone the next. She didn't see him for thirty minutes and then caught a glimpse of Hawkeye on the roof. How he'd gotten up there so quickly, she didn't know. He gave her a signal and she knew a guard was coming her way, doing a perimeter sweep. She check the time and then moved to hide herself within some rose bushes. She was glad that he didn't have a dog, but Hawkeye would have warned her of that in advance. When she looked back to the roof, he was gone. Just when she was thinking that maybe she was just a pain in his ass, he came back and signalled that she should follow him.
At the fence line Clint said, "I'll boost you over."
She backed up and ran towards him, using his knee and hands he tossed her into the air and her momentum carried her over the fence. Her training allowed her to land a little more gracefully. She saw Clint use the tallest tree's branch to get himself over. They jogged back to the bikes and didn't really talk until they rode away.
"Security is more for show. There's a few lights on the building, no outdoor cameras. One perimeter check and only four outdoor guards. It's like they are more worried about what comes out, instead of who might come in," Clint observed.
"The guard at the gate, sits there and watches TV. He didn't even look up, when that guard walked the fence line. Tomorrow night will be easy."
She couldn't see it, but Hawkeye grinned. If this assignment was that easy, they wouldn't both be there. He had a feeling that they weren't the only ones watching this company. But he hadn't seen anything, it was just a feeling. He'd just make sure his quiver was ready with arrow heads for everything.
"It's a nice night for a ride, glad we took the bikes," Natasha said a few minutes later.
"Feel like racing?" Clint chuckled.
"Back to the hotel parking lot, or all the way back to the room?"
He grinned, "you choose."
"To the parking lot is good," she replied. "At that red light, when it goes green, the race is on."
Natasha spun her back tire, revving to go. She glanced at Hawkeye, but he just focused forward. The light changed and they both shot forward. He went up on one wheel and brought it down, then crouched low. Their machines screamed through the night, ripping through the still night air. He took a side street and even rode up on a side walk. They were both very competitive and neither wanted to loose. They came into the parking garage at different entrances. But it was Hawkeye who arrived back first. He was leaning against the wall, holding his helmet, when Natasha rode up.
"Shit, how did you get here so quick?" She swore as she removed her helmet.
"Maybe the short cut," he shrugged. "Let's change have a few drinks and raid the mini bar fridge."
They took the elevator back to their room. It was pretty late at night, but the conference wasn't until 3 pm, so they could sleep in. Clint invaded the mini bar, after changing into a pair of track pants and a t-shirt. Natasha came out of the bathroom in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, which often doubled as her pjs. She raised an eyebrow when he handed her a glass. After a sniff, she accepted it and went to sit in one of the balcony chairs. He joined her, putting a handful of the little liquor bottles on the table between them. They had four each and nursed the last one.
"They don't need us both on this project. I wonder who they are expecting to come to the conference," Natasha wondered out loud.
He shrugged, "someone else is scoping out FuturePharm. I saw no one, but I could feel it."
"Whomever it is, must have S.H.E.I.L.D. pretty nervous."
"In a few hours we'll find out. We should get some rest." Clint got up and put away his pile of bottles, then got into bed on the left side.
She did the same, but didn't close her eyes until she heard his even breathing. Her sleep was fitful and Clint was glad the bed was big, so she didn't kick or punch him in her sleep. He got maybe four hours of sleep and then her nightmare woke him. She was talking in her sleep. At first he didn't pay much attention, but then she said his name.
"What do you mean Barton's compromised?"
"If anyone has to kill Clint, I'll do it. But no one touches him until that has to happen. I'll get him back…. I owe him. I have to."
The next few things she mumbled and he couldn't quiet make out what she said. He glanced over to her and saw tears rolling down her cheek. Her next words almost made him fall out of bed.
"Clint come back to me, you can fight this, I know you can. I need you …. damn it, I love you…. Don't make me have to kill you, because it would kill me."
He waited to see if she would say more, but she didn't. He guessed that she must have been beside him the whole time S.H.E.I.L.D. had him in restraints. Her breathing settled, so maybe that's when he'd come back into his own mind. He reflected back to that day. He'd known there was something she hadn't been saying, but accepted her answer about red in her ledger anyway. So was that why she had fought with the Avengers; because of him? He got up and went to have a shower, this new knowledge didn't change things for him. He'd loved her a long time, but her past and timing kept them apart. If they were ever to get closer, she'd have to truly trust him and open up.
As he came out of the shower and put on a towel, he could hear her moving around in the main room. He shaved and then cleaned up. Coming out the door he said, "bathroom's yours. We should order breakfast in bed, so don't get all dolled up just yet."
She rolled her eyes, "is that what you say to all the ladies you want to get naked in bed with?"
He smirked, "relax, I'll have my pants on. You can join me any way you like." He dodged a soap bar that came flying at his head. "Missed me."
Her laughter he heard until the shower turned on. He placed the order, making sure to ask for the most expensive menu items, but at the same time getting something he wanted to eat. Then he got out a good tip. He had no problem spending money, when it wasn't his. The room service came, just as Natasha got out of the bathroom in her robe. She got the door and handed over the tip. Then she kissed Clint in front of the waiter and fed him a strawberry right after. He winked at the waiter, who grinned stupidly and left.
"So what did you get us? Custard stuffed croissant with fresh berry spread…. mmm."
Clint watched her pick a piece of the crust apart and eat it with pleasure. She enjoyed every bite. Watching her dip the strawberry in chocolate and eat it slowly, caused a tightening to happen under the sheets. To get his mind off her, he stuffed his face with bacon and eggs. It was the best he'd ever had and provided enough distraction for him to regain control. He couldn't let the revelations of earlier, make him loose his focus on the job they had to do.
"I can't believe I'm awake already. It's only 9 am. We have a lot of time to kill," Natasha eventually said.
"Did Fury send us the building blueprints yet?"
She got off the bed and went over to the lap top. Natasha climbed back onto the bed and sat beside him, back propped against the head board. Together they looked over the information. He pointed out what he had observed of the guards outside. They discussed point of entry and then how to get into the lab and out again. They plotted possible escape routes and went over a back up plan. She would take lead and he'd cover her six. Eventually it was time to get ready for the conference. A limo was already arranged to pick them up. Natasha wore a sharp business blazer which of course accentuated her figure, with a tight pencil skirt. Clint wore a business suit. They wore no weapons this time, except what the S.H.E.I.L.D. jewellery had hidden within. The front desk rung their room and advised the limo had arrived. Clint gave Natasha his arm and they went to the lobby. He said to the desk, that the cleaning crew didn't have to go in to their room and he'd prefer they didn't. He also left the front desk and cleaning staff a huge tip. He advised them, the food cart was outside the door. Then they left.
They were in a line up of cars, both civilian and military, at FuturePharm security gate. They were given temp badges and then lead by armed men to a conference room, where Dr. Maya Hansen greeted them warmly. Once all the seats were filled, she began her presentation, educating them on her research. Natasha shot Clint a look, the information was similar to what had been done to the Captain, but much more advanced. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous. When Dr. Hansen encouraged open discussion, that's when Natasha went to work. She reeled them all in with her interest and questions, then let the bomb drop and destroyed Dr. Hansen's chance to get anyone in that room to invest in her work.
"Francis, I will not invest in any more dead lab rats! Where are the real results?" Natasha stood up, hands on the table, glaring at Dr. Hansen. Everyone in the room had their eyes glued on her.
"Honey, it's research. You know the drill," Clint said.
"Don't honey me. We've spent billions on similar research, but that's just it. It's been five years and no usable results. You and I are in the business of making money, not wasting it on theoretical results. Dr. Hansen where are the human test subjects?"
Dr. Hansen stuttered and tried to regroup, repeating useless facts. She was loosing her investors and she knew it. They were agreeing with Mrs. Roman. At that moment Dr. Hansen wished she could kill the woman that was verbally attacking her and tossing years of research aside. It almost felt like a physical slap in the face. When Mr. and Mrs. Roman stood up to leave, so did all her other potential investors. And then it was done and they had all left.
On the way out, now that they had a copy of the ID tag taken from the lab, Natasha happened to accidentally find the original key card by the last security door, before the main lobby. "Excuse me sir, but there is something wedged under the door there." She pointed the guard to where the key card was jammed.
"Stupid, clumsy, lab geeks," the guard muttered under his breath.
Everyone left and they did also, again returning to the hotel in the limo. Once they were alone, Natasha laughed. "That was so easy. I almost felt bad for her… almost."
"You're the best at what you do. Some of those Senators, looked like they wanted to invest in you!"
She smiled, disappearing into the the washroom to change into her S.H.E.I.L.D. uniform. When she came out, Hawkeye was just putting on his boots. They went over the plan again, then checked their gear. With many hours to kill before their final stage of the job, they decided to go for a ride on the motorcycles. Their uniforms looked like specialized motorcycle leathers, when they didn't attach their weapons. They rode by and around FuturePharm, checking all streets and lane ways for possible exit routes. Then they raced a little and rode for just the fun of it. They stopped for diner at a burger joint. If they weren't so on edge for tonight's assignment, it would have felt like a diner date. Finally they returned to the room to gear up, as the sun sunk below the horizon.
Darkness blanketed the sky, as the motorcycles drove by once and then parked way up the street by another building. They stuck close to the fence line. The exterior lights, Hawkeye shot with paint, using a modified hand gun. Again the trees helped launch them over the security fence. Hawkeye scanned the area and nodded that they could advance. Natasha wore night vision glasses, but he needed none of that enhancement. Getting to the main entrance was no problem. Hawkeye hit the guard with a taser arrow. When the guy went down, he retrieved it and put it back in his quiver. Together they lifted the guard up in a corner, making it look like he was just standing relaxed. The smoker's bin held up the unconscious man. The key card came out and let them into the building. As expected, the guard at the security desk was sleeping, Hawkeye choked him out, to make him sleep that much more longer. While he did that, Natasha put a scrambler virus into the cameras, it would disappear in an hour leaving snow on the monitor's recording device only. They moved on, taking out guards as they went. She used her Black Widow's sting taser on two guys. It wasn't until the lab area, that they used the tranquillizer blow darts. Once inside, Hawkeye stayed alert, while Natasha gathered the intel, downloading data and taking pictures.
"Get down now," Clint ordered through their communication device, seeing movement from the back of the room.
"I still have one download running, I can't disconnect yet." She reported back.
"Stay still, don't move. There's someone coming in from the back entrance." Clint said, getting another taser arrow ready.
"Almost done," Natasha whispered.
As he watched, he saw Dr. Hansen herself, wedge the door open and then exit the way that he and Natasha had just come. Nothing else happened. "It's clear, just try to hurry up. Something strange is going on here."
Natasha suddenly stood up and nodded at him. She was done. He gave her a hand signal, telling her to stay low and come to him. He caught movement through the door that had been left ajar. He sent an arrow silently through the air, disabling the intruder. Next he went to retrieve the arrow, but he found it on the ground and there was no body.
"Get out now, I'm right behind you. Someone is here and survived my taser arrow," Clint reported.
"I'm already heading out. The guards we took out are still down," she replied.
He caught up to her, but the uneasy feeling didn't leave him. "Go to the bikes, stay in the dark and go fast. We have company, someone is breaking in. This guard is dead, not unconscious." His hand came away with blood.
"I'll go report to Fury and give him the info we took tonight." When they got back to the fence, he helped her over again. She turned back to him and said, "Hawkeye, be careful."
He flashed her a grin, "always. I'll catch up to you in a minute. I want to see who it is and try to get a tracker on them." He melted into the darkness.
She was just about to ride away, when she saw Hawkeye leap off a moving truck and grab the arm of a street light. Then he shimmied to the base and slid down. He jogged over, not even out of breath. He put on his helmet and nodded, after starting his motorcycle.
"Who was it?" She asked.
"Not sure, I think it was a few HYDRA agents. Either way, they have a tracker on them. This is the arrow that delivered it," he said showing her a stick with no head on it, before putting it into his quiver.
"Let's get back to the hotel, check out online and head for the plane. We have a lot to report back to Fury." Natasha rode off, with Clint hot on her heals.