Clint shifted slightly as he stared down at the base he was watching. Natasha was on one side, Wanda on the other. God he fucking hated stakeouts.
"I need some movement." whispered Wanda. "I'm going to go see what's going on further down."
Clint tossed her a cap. "Cover your hair. And be careful."
She nodded and moved down silently. This was their first mission since Budapest and they were in fucking Siberia watching a base suspected of manufacturing and selling the parts to nuclear weapons. So SHIELD had sent them to check it out and when they gave the OK, destroy it.
"Cold?" whispered Natasha.
Clint shook his head. "You?"
"A little."
He was about to shrug off his jacket and give her it when Wanda reappeared.
"They've definitely got the parts they need."
Clint asked, "Well?"
Coulson replied through the comm link. "Take them out Agent Barton. That's an affirmative. Take them out."
Clint grinned. "Roger that sir."
He unstrung his bow and nocked an arrow. The three of them crept down the snowy slope, until they reached the barbed wire fence.
"I'll fly us over." said Clint, grabbing a redhead in each arm and flying over the top.
He landed neatly and let them go. They managed to slip into the base undetected. Clint scaled up to the catwalks that had been put up there for maintenance. Wanda and Natasha followed, walking with slightly less confidence than him.
"How do you manage up here?" asked Wanda quietly.
Clint shrugged. "Tightrope's tougher."
Natasha smirked. "I can just see you in a purple leotard."
"Now, now Nat. Don't get carried away. This is a mission after all."
Coulson added drily, "And you're broadcasting to half the Bridge."
Clint snickered. "Oh goodie. Would everyone like a photo of me in a leotard?"
"I knew you wore a leotard." muttered Natasha triumphantly.
The archer ignored her, slipping over a railing and glancing around. He held a hand up and crouched down to get a better look at the activity going on beneath them.
"Holy…" muttered Clint, pulling out his phone, snapping a few photos and sending them to Coulson. "Hey Coulson, I just sent you some photos. Check them for me."
"On it Hawkeye."
Natasha glanced around. She was OK with heights but Wanda had never been entirely comfortable with them. Clint on the other hand, had evolved for heights. They waited in tense silence for five minutes until Coulson crackled back on the comms.
"The man you managed to photograph is an international terrorist called Goliath."
Clint interrupted. "That's a shit codename."
There was a note of faint exasperation in Coulson's voice when he continued. "He's been at the number ten spot on our list for five years. Take him out agents. And his crew."
"Do we blow the place up?" asked Wanda quietly.
"Negative Scarlet Witch." answered Coulson. "We'll send in a clean-up crew of experts in nuclear research to deal with the material in there."
Clint nodded. "Noted. See you later."
He got to his feet and directed Wanda to the right side of the catwalk. She headed down to the end and stood, facing one direction. Natasha headed to the left, facing the same direction as Wanda. Clint stayed in the centre, turned to face the opposite direction, nocked three arrows and sighted on Goliath.
"On my mark. One… two… three."
He let the arrows fly. Before they'd even hit their marks, he'd swung his bow to hit the next mark. Behind him he could hear bullets zinging all over. The terrorists were finally returning fire. Clint ducked one fusillade of bullets and shot an arrow at the shooter. He went down, dead before he hit the ground.
"They're like roaches!" he yelled to Natasha and Wanda.
He briefly heard a laugh before it was cut off by swearing. They fought on, until Clint ran out of arrows. He had his SHIELD-issued Smith & Wesson M&P but he hated firing that damn thing. All the same, he pulled out and began firing it. When that eventually ran out of bullets, he jumped into the fray. Admittedly, hand-to-hand wasn't his greatest strength but he had knives.
"Shit!" exclaimed one of the arms dealers.
Clint sliced his throat open and stabbed another in the eye. Eventually there were no more left. Natasha and Wanda reappeared. They'd both run out of bullets and Wanda was limping.
"You OK?" asked Clint.
"Turned my ankle. It's nothing."
"Coulson, we're clear."
While Natasha checked the arms dealers were all dead, Clint and Wanda gathered up his arrows. Then they cleared out. Coulson greeted them at the SHIELD base.
"You three did a good job today."
"Thanks sir." said Clint.
He nodded and left. Natasha and Wanda went to get showered while Clint debriefed. Then he headed to his own shower, loneliness pressing down on him. Normally Logan went to debrief with Clint and they gave their two separate accounts, Logan's from the melee and Clint's from his sniper's nest. Then they headed back to their showers, bickering about something. There was now a 6'3-sized gap next to him. He pushed open the door to his room.
"Hey Clint." said Natasha softly.
"Hey baby."
He leaned down to kiss her and collapsed on the bed next to her. Natasha locked the door and sat back down. She ran her fingers through his hair and Clint leaned in slightly.
"What's wrong yastreb?" asked Natasha.
"I'm tired." replied Clint, rolling over onto his back.
She laughed slightly and kissed him before curling up next to him.
Yastreb- Hawk(Russian)
