Chapter Six – Clint Comes Back
Kahlan ran down the corridor towards the bridge. She dug through her pockets, slowing down just a bit to pull out her combat Bluetooth. Hooking it on her ear, Kahlan turned it on and continued towards the bridge.
"Agent Thomas, do you copy?" Fury yelled in her ear. Kahlan winced, trying to keep her head in the present.
"I copy. On my way to the bridge." Kahlan responded. "Rogers and Stark are on their way to the engine that's down. Thor is MIA as well as Romanoff and Banner. Let's hope the Hulk hasn't been released."
"Copy that." Fury said. "Report to the bridge. Agent Romanoff, report!"
"We're okay." Natasha's voice came through the earpiece. "We're okay, right?" Kahlan heard her talking to someone, probably Banner. The Hulk was emerging. Great, thanks a lot, Loki!
"1 minute out." Kahlan reported, turning a corner. "Redbird out." She stopped short at the sight of 5 men in black uniforms coming from the opposite direction. They had SHIELD emblems on their shoulders. Rogue soldiers. As one opened a grenade, Kahlan sprinted towards the bridge.
"Grenade!" Kahlan yelled. She jumped away from the exploding grenade. Debris flew everywhere. Kahlan hissed in pain as exploding plastic and metal cut through her uniform cloth at the back and legs. Rolling over, Kahlan saw Nick Fury go into full-spy action. She stared as her mouth fell open a little. Fury single-handedly dispatched three of the invading soldiers. Catching a glimpse of another soldier in the doorway, Kahlan drove at the conference table and grabbed her crossbow. A gunshot and a crossbow went off at the same time. Fury looked first at Kahlan and then back at Hill, who had her handgun out, and nodded. They had both just saved his life.
"Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart," Hill reported, shouting over the chaos in the bridge.
"Get his attention." Fury yelled, firing at the doorway where more rogue soldiers stood.
The bridge was in total chaos. Kahlan coughed as smoke blew in her direction. An arrow hit the rail next to her. Kahlan snapped her head up and looked up. She caught a glimpse of Clint up in the rafters. Without hesitating, Kahlan shot her crossbow at Clint. The marksman dodged the bolt and aimed an arrow at Kahlan. Kahlan ducked and rolled away towards the monitors, hoping she was moving fast enough so Clint wouldn't be able to hit her.
He must have changed his mind because he shot his next arrow at the computer system. The fight stopped suddenly as the computers went crazy and then shut completely down. Kahlan looked around surprised. She watched as papers flew everywhere. Fury glanced at the dark computer screens and then up at the Hawk's perch. He aimed his gun at the marksman. Kahlan held her breath hoping that Fury would miss, thought it was unlikely that he would. The young agent blinked and the Hawk disappeared.
"It's Barton, he took our systems." Fury said into the comm system. "He's headed for the detention lab. Does anybody copy?"
Kahlan was on her feet and running in the direction of the detention lab. "This is Agent Redbird, I copy."
"This is Agent Romanoff; I'm headed to help Rogers and Stark. There seem to be enemy soldiers attempting to keep the engine down." Natasha's voice came in Kahlan's ear. "If you need back up, Redbird, call me."
"Will do." Kahlan responded, running along the halls, tightening her grip on her crossbow. "Redbird out."
She reached the dark catwalk underneath the halls leading towards the detention lab. She knew this would be the way for Hawkeye to pass unnoticed to the lab. Her combat boots were silent on the metal catwalk. Squinting ahead in the dim light of the catwalk, Kahlan suddenly began to wish that she could see in the dark like Hawkeye. Suddenly catching sight of a dark figure moving quickly away from her, Kahlan sped up into a slow quiet jog. If she needed to beat Clint and take him down, she would have to be quiet and fast.
Soon she was walking just behind Clint, hoping that he would not notice her shadowing him. Her wish was in vain. Clint quickly turned, drawing an arrow from his quiver, and prepared to shoot Kahlan. Bringing her crossbow up, Kahlan blocked the shot and hit the bow off center. Clint stumbled a bit, but gathered his footing, swiping at Kahlan with the metal bow tip. Kahlan leaned back and kicked her foot up, knocking the bow out of his hand. She grabbed the bow and swung it at Clint who jumped back, blocking the weapon with his arm guards. Kahlan tossed both weapons away and attacked Clint with her fists, jabbing and punching, trying to score a hit that would weaken him just enough for Kahlan to capture Clint.
"Redbird," Natasha's voice came in her ear. Kahlan paused just a split second to touch her ear. Clint took that opportunity to draw his knife from his boot and swing at her. The knife cut through the cloth of her uniform on her arm, slicing through skin. Pain seared through her arm, causing Kahlan's breath to hitch.
"What?" Kahlan staggered backwards, trying to avoid a second knife swipe. "Bit busy here, Tash!" She grunted, blocking another knife swipe from Clint, dropping low and swinging her legs at his knees. Clint fell heavily to the ground. Kahlan kicked at the hand with the knife, trying to disarm him.
"The mind control." Natasha said. "Try recalibrating his head." Clint jumped up and grabbed Kahlan around the back, trying to pin her arms to her sides. Pulling a move out of Natasha's book, Kahlan grabbed his right hand with her left and turned towards his right hand, pushing his arm away in a direction that an arm should not go.
Clint yelled in pain as Kahlan heard a pop or break from inside his arm. That would easily mend. Letting go of his right arm, Kahlan smacked her elbow into his face, causing Clint to stumble back. Kahlan turned and kicked Clint in the chest, making him stumble back again. He was losing ground quickly. Grabbing on metal bars overhead, Kahlan jumped and used both legs, kicking Clint in the chest a second time.
Clint fell back. Between gravity and the force from Kahlan's kick, Clint turned to grab on to something to steady his fall, but missed. He hit his head on the metal railing. The entire catwalk echoed with the sound. Kahlan winced as Clint fell to the ground. He tried to get up, but his injured arm was not helping him. He looked up. Kahlan saw his ice blue eyes from the mind control glowing in the dim light.
"Kahlan?" He whispered. Kahlan punched him in the face. Clint collapsed, unconscious. He took several hits to the head. If he wasn't recalibrated by now, Kahlan didn't know what would recalibrate him. Probably Thor's or the Hulk's fist.
Kahlan kneeled down next to Clint and stroked his sweaty sandy brown hair away from his eyes. He was back. He came back to her in one piece. She unstrapped his arm guards and pulled the quiver off of his back.
""This is Agent Thomas. Agent Barton has been neutralized," Kahlan reported into her earpiece. "Taking him to the med wing to recover from cognitive control. Does anyone copy?"
"Copy that, Redbird," Hill said.
"Agent Coulson is down." Fury reported. Kahlan's breath stopped short. She signaled to SHIELD soldiers to take Clint to the med wing.
"Medic team is on its way." Hill said.
"They're here." Fury said. He paused. Kahlan's eyes pricked with unshed tears. "They called it." Kahlan closed her eyes and silent tears rolled down her face. Coulson was gone. The one person she was close enough to actually call family was gone. "Agent Thomas, attend to Agent Barton and debrief him when he comes to."
"Yes sir," Kahlan choked out. She scrubbed her face clean of tears with her gloved hands. A searing pain ran through her arm. Kahlan hissed in pain and looked down at her arm. Her wound from Clint was red and angry as blood soiled the uniform around the cut. Holding her hand to her wound, applying pressure, Kahlan winced and began to walk quickly in the same direction that they took Clint.
"Take him to a private room and strap him to the bed." Kahlan ordered as she stepped into the med wing. "I don't want any surprises when he comes to." The two soldiers nodded and took Clint into one of the rooms.
"Let me take a look at that arm." The head doctor said, pointing to Kahlan's injured arm.
"You might want to take a look at Clint's right arm as well." Kahlan said. "Something for sure popped."
"It's just dislocated." The head doctor reassured Kahlan. "I've relocated it, and with his fast healing system, he will be right as rain in an hour or two." Kahlan nodded and took her seat on an examining table. The head doctor inspected her arm and cut the sleeve off of the uniform. "You won't need that anytime soon. You can always get another one." He quickly cleaned the cut and sutured her arm up. "Try not to take any more hits on your right arm. You may be patched up, but you're not healed yet." The doctor wrapped a bandage around Kahlan's arm injury.
"Thanks, doc." Kahlan stood and looked to where Clint's room was. "I'll be with Agent Barton."
Kahlan pulled a chair and sat a little ways from Clint's bed. He was still unconscious. Kahlan sighed as everything within the past couple hours sank in. Loki had escaped. The team was scattered. Coulson was dead. That last though made her heart constrict and renewed tears welled up in her eyes. Scrubbing them away, Kahlan gazed up at the ceiling. Clint suddenly moved. His arms strained against the padded restraints.
"What?" Clint shook his head. Kahlan watched as his arms flexed as he tried to pull loose.
"Clint?" Kahlan moved to the edge of her chair. "Clint, it's going to be all right." Clint grunted in pain and shook his head. "You're gonna be all right." Clint turned and screwed up his eyes as if to make out who Kahlan was.
"Kahlan?" Clint shook his head again. The ice blue in his eyes was fading to the original gray.
"Clint, you're gonna be alright." Kahlan crooned. She reached out towards Clint. He shrunk back away from her hand, pulling at his restraints.
"You know that?" Clint asked hoarsely. "Is that what you know?" He spat the words. Kahlan winced and sat back in her chair. "I got…I gotta go in though." He took a deep, shaky breath. "I gotta flush him out."
"We don't have that long." Kahlan urged him. She walked over to the bedside table and poured a large glass of water. "It's gonna take more time than we can allow. Loki's escaped."
"Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?" Clint asked. Kahlan looked down at him. Clint had his head against the wall cushioned by the pillow. She touched his cheek softly and gave a small, sad smile.
"You know that I do," Kahlan whispered. "More than once, never got that anti-possession tat like the Winchesters did." She looked down at the padded restraints and then back at Clint. He frowned in confusion.
"Why am I back?" Clint asked quickly. "How did you get him out?"
"Oh, I hit you really hard on the head." Kahlan explained. "Tasha had this thing about cognitive recalibration. I'm glad that it was me hitting you on the head that worked. Didn't want to get Thor or the Hulk to do that job."
Clint gave a small smile. "Thanks." Kahlan smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek.
"I'm just glad that you came back to me alive." Kahlan whispered. Clint nudged her cheek with his nose and looked straight into her brown eyes.
"I missed you." Clint murmured. Kahlan smiled again and began to unbuckle the restraints on Clint's wrists. "Kahlan, how many agents?"
"Clint." Kahlan stopped and looked at him seriously. "Don't do that to yourself. It was not you. It was Loki and magic and monsters and things that we weren't trained for here at SHIELD."
"But you were." Clint said, rubbing his wrists. Kahlan handed him the tall glass of water. "Loki, he got away?"
Kahlan walked towards the windowed door and nodded. "Don't suppose you know where?" Clint shook his head. "It was worth a shot."
"I didn't need to know." Clint said. "I didn't ask." He took a long drink of the water before answering. "He is going to make his play soon. Possibly today."
Kahlan turned to face him. "Then we've gotta stop him."
Clint laughed darkly. "Yeah? Who's we?"
"The sooner you get that crazy son of a bitch out of your head the better." Kahlan commented. "You'll start sounding more like you. I don't know who's gonna stop Loki. Anyone we have left, I guess."
Clint was silent and looked down at his hands. His arms were scattered with silvery white scars from past missions. Kahlan went and sat next to him. She rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better, I suppose." Clint said, patting her hand that rested on his arm.
"Now you sound like you." Kahlan laughed softly, kissing Clint's cheek. Clint glanced at her and turned to look at Kahlan's face. There was something wrong.
"But you don't." Clint said, his voice was concerned. "What happened? What did Loki do to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me." Kahlan said shakily.
Clint leaned into Kahlan and caressed her cheek. "Kahlan." He whispered. A tear escaped Kahlan's eye and left a shimmering trail down her cheek. Clint closed his eyes. He couldn't stand Kahlan in pain. He kissed her cheek, wiping the tear away. "What happened?"
"Coulson's dead." Kahlan whispered. Clint froze. He broke away from Kahlan and put his head in his hands. Kahlan inhaled and looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears away.
"Kahlan, I'm so sorry." Clint murmured. Kahlan scrubbed her face clean with her gloved hands.
"He's in a better place." Kahlan assured him and herself. "He was brave. He stood up to Loki."
"Coulson believed in you and the team." Clint put his arms around Kahlan. "It's more than I was able to do."
"You're back now." Kahlan looked at Clint. "I'm just glad you came back to me." Clint smiled and gave Kahlan an extra squeeze. Kahlan winced and her breath hitched as her injured arm stung.
"What? What happened?" Clint moved in front of her, kneeling and looking at her. "Are you hurt?"
"Just a minor wound," Kahlan reassured him. "I got it when I was taking you down. A souvenir of the time I beat your ass." Clint rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry." Clint said, rubbing her uninjured arm.
"I'll live." Kahlan leaned forward and kissed Clint on the mouth. "I got you back and that's all I care about." Clint smiled.
"Let me get cleaned up." Clint said softly. He went into the small bathroom and closed the door. Kahlan smiled to herself. She had her boy back. Loki won't know what hit him when the Team got back together.
Suddenly the door opened. Rogers and Natasha stood outside of the room. Their faces were grim.
"How is he?" Natasha asked. Kahlan nodded.
"He'll live." Kahlan responded. "Don't know what emotional scars will be there, but I'll get him through that."
Natasha nodded. Rogers cleared his throat.
"It's time to go." Rogers said.
Kahlan cocked her head to the right. "Go where?"
"I'll tell you on the way," Rogers informed her. "Can you fly one of those jets?" The bathroom door opened. Clint entered drying his hands with a towel.
"I can." Clint stated looking at Rogers directly in the face. Rogers glanced at Kahlan. She nodded and smiled.
"He's fine." Kahlan said.
"Thanks, Redbird." Rogers said. He turned to Clint, who was staring at Kahlan with his eyebrows raised. Only Coulson, Clint and Natasha called Kahlan 'Redbird.' "You got a suit? Both of you?" He stared at Kahlan's ripped sleeve.
"Yeah," Clint and Kahlan responded at the same time. Rogers looked between the two and nodded.
"Then suit up!"