Tony's phone beeped alerting him and Romanoff that the council was currently contacting the Director. He hit the button on the consol he was at and tapped into the private conversation being held down the hall.
The team had spent all week going over the information Stark was slowly pulling about the council. He had to give them credit, they weren't making it easy for him, but he did love a challenge. So far they had found away to override the system and break into Fury's secret meeting room as well as council protocols for different scenarios. The most interesting information was the different missions authorized by the council, and the way the votes fell in regards to authorizing the missions. If they did some more digging they might be able to find some personal information on a few members that they could use to their advantage.
The week had been filled with anger, stress and dread. They were all worried about what their teammate was going through alone, because Fury had told them to hold off and wait to see if they needed to make a move. The fact that their friend was being tortured while they just waited, helpless against it, had raised the tension around Stark Tower and caused a few fights amongst the Avengers. All of their futures were riding on this; the council was determining Clint's fate, and if they condemned him the team knew they would do whatever it took to free him. That of course meant making themselves enemies to the council and possibly SHIELD. Their lives as they knew them would change drastically, and the team would most likely be forced to run if they weren't drawn into a full on blood bath.
Romanoff had gone back to the Helicarrier on day two and did her own investigating. After obtaining the name of the agent that had overrode Fury's orders and carried out the council's plans to launch the nuke, she had what witnesses would later refer to as a 'friendly' conversation; after all, the agent would eventually be able to walk again. The operative had divulged that the council was expecting a decision at the end of the week, and Stark had left the tower to join Natasha in waiting for that meeting. She still hadn't been able to find out where they were holding Clint, but they were getting closer; they just needed more time. Fortunately or unfortunately the council had come to their conclusion.
The pair listened with bated breath for the council to hand down their verdict. They knew Barton was innocent of any ridiculous charges or ideas they could throw at him, but sadly they didn't seem to get the option to vote.
Dread clutched at Romanoff's very being as she listened to the conversation move in a distinctly horrible direction. Her breathing started to speed up as her brain jumped to the conclusion her heart had already saw coming a week ago. Before the final condemning words rolled off of the council member's lips, Stark was already storming out and towards the meeting room; the Black Widow numbly following him.
The door flew open and Fury turned to look at the intruders; council member four stopped midsentence at the presence of Stark and Natasha.
"You are not authorized to be here," shouted the first council member.
Tony glanced over the monitors taking in the shadow clad people that decided they had the right to judge his friend. He lost his train of thought as he eyed the last monitor which displayed a dishevelled and beaten down archer. Clint was strapped down to a chair with two guards standing on either side of him. The man had the same look that Stark had seen just before he picked his fight with Steve in an attempt to take himself out to protect the team.
Natasha was speechless; she kept her eyes glued on her partner, cataloguing every scratch, bruise and mark. The sting of betrayal was hard to swallow; this was their own people that had a misguided notion he was a threat and not the hero she knew that he was. She knew to expect what she saw, but actually seeing him that way was so much worse than what she had envisioned. All the times in her SHIELD life that she had been quick to act, to stand up for right and punish those that sought to hurt the innocent, she was unable to move as she saw the haunted, defeated look in Clint's eyes. He had given up on himself and agreed with whatever the council had decided.
Clint watched on the monitor as his teammates stormed into the briefing room. He had accepted his fate and on some level agreed with what the council was about to decree, but it seemed his friends were determined to foolishly put themselves in precarious positions to defend him even though he didn't deserve it.
"Innocent people should have someone stand up for them; we're here to stand up for Hawkeye. You can thank me for stopping you from making a grievous error. I'm personally partial to fancy sports cars with big red bows instead of thank-you cards."
Council member number four declared, "Agent Barton is a threat and needs to be dealt with."
"No." It wasn't the usual rambling that Stark went on but the one word said what all the other words in the world couldn't offer with the same steadfast belief and force.
"No?" repeated one of the members of the council.
"Did that not translate? Romanoff translate that in Russian for the nice people."
"It is the job of this agency to remove possible threats to the safety and security of the people."
"If you want to talk threats, I'm a bigger threat."
The words sent a shock wave of alarm through Barton. Why couldn't they see that he wasn't worth it? Clint couldn't let them do this. "Tony don't!"
Ignoring Hawkeye's protests, Stark continued, "I mean I'm the one that put your precious nuke through the portal and ruined your plans to level Manhattan."
"A fact that we have not forgotten. The Avengers will stand down now and return to Stark Tower while we deal with this," informed the second council member.
"Well, see no. The Avengers, well, we're kind of a team and that includes the caged quail there, so if you want us to stand down then I suggest you give us Barton and we call it a day."
The council warned, "We will not hesitate to remove you from there by any force we deem necessary."
Helpless to do anything Clint growled, "Tony god damn it, stop now!"
A plan started to form in the fourth council member's brain. "Alright, we'll hold an inquiry into Agent Barton. If you can convince the council that he is not a threat, he will be released."
"If we can't?" asked Natasha warily as she found her voice. She didn't see this working out the way they would want and really the only decision left was could she turn her back on everything she had accomplished and go against the ideals that now governed her life to go against SHIELD?
The shadowy figure continued, "Stark will surrender the Iron Man technology and be remanded into our custody along with Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers. Agent Barton will be scheduled for execution. We'll give you a moment to decide." The proposal was punctuated by the council members' screens going black.
Clint felt his stomach drop. There was no defence they could build that was going to absolve him of his wrong doings and the Avengers were going to pay for that. "Absolutely not Stark. Take Natasha and walk away." He turned his eyes to where Fury was pictured on his screen pleading, "Don't let them do this Director."
"Actually since we have to face the consequences I don't think he gets a vote Clint," said Tony.
"Do you think you can convince them?" asked Fury. He had spent all week trying to come up with plans that would free his agent without throwing anyone else in front of the council. He would support the Avengers in any way he could, but he did have the future of the other men and women under his command to consider as well.
Stark glanced at Romanoff looking for support. As it stood now the council was planning on locking up Hawkeye and throwing away the key but if they took this chance they stood to make it so much worse if they failed. Natasha weighed the options carefully, blocking out her partner's string of protests; at the very least it could buy them some extra time to try and locate Clint to break him out. She gave a consenting nod.
The monitors flickered to life and Fury gestured for Stark to lead the show.
"What have you decided?" questioned the darkened figures.
"How exactly is this going to work?" Tony wanted to see how much wiggle room they were going to get.
"We will hold a trial in which you can present your argument. We will then deliberate and pass judgement. Should we find against you, you will be reprimanded immediately and Agent Barton's execution will swiftly follow."
"Stark don't do this, please!" It pained them to hear Clint beg, but it hurt more to hear that the man that had fought beside them didn't feel he was worth the same effort that he gave them.
Tony held up a hand to silence his desperate friend. "Barton, it's time to let someone else be the hero for the moment. I'm not going to speak for anyone else so Banner and Rogers are not part of this agreement. In the miniscule chance that we should fail to demonstrate that Agent Barton is nothing short of the superhero we all know him to be, then you can have me."
A look of surprise flashed across Natasha's face and, if she didn't know better, she might have claimed that she noticed it on Fury as well. Of all the people she could imagining throwing themselves to the wolves for Barton, Stark was nowhere near the top of the list; in fact, he didn't even make the list. The attempts at team bonding must have been paying off because she had just witnessed Tony Stark put someone else first, for the second time.
Panic gripped Clint's chest and he was finding it hard to breath. He wasn't there to physically push them out of the room, but there had to be something he could do to save them from him. He closed his eyes and realized the only option available to him. He had to give up the one thing that he was still desperately clinging to, even if the prospect of it gutted him inside. Coulson had believed in the Avengers, and Barton desperately prayed he could forgive him for this if it saved the dream the agent had steadfastly believed in. "I confess to treason!" shouted Barton, "I helped the war criminal Loki, I compromised the safety of the Avengers, I'll agree to whatever you want; just stop this now!"
Not to be out done, Tony shouted louder, "I'll do it."
The council ignored their prisoner. "We'll convene in one day. You have twenty-four hours to put together your case, at which time you will return here and be taken to an undisclosed location where you can confer with Agent Barton and then present your case." All of the screens went black. Fury, Stark and Romanoff looked at each other.
"I hope you have a plan!" said Natasha.
