A/N – Apparently there is no music for this chapter, way too much going on. Hope you enjoy!
"Are you insane?" Bruce and Natasha said nearly simultaneously.
It was the best that Steve could hope for. He knew they weren't going to be crazy about the idea but he knew it would work. "No, just hear me out. Romanoff you want in there but your leg is going to slow you down so having Bruce carry you…" Natasha glared at Steve, "Or let you lean against him so you can limp in would help. Everyone knows what shooting Banner or getting him angry will do so they aren't going to be exactly rushing at you two coming in. Besides as far as they know he hasn't been involved in this so him bringing you in for treatment will seem logical." There was grumbling but no one spoke in disagreement of the plan.
"The rest of us will come in the back way. There is a vent here," Steve continues, pointing to the blueprints, "This goes to a single stall bathroom near the service entrance. Someone will need to go in through here and let us in. We'll need to take out cameras but hopefully everyone will be focused on Banner and Romanoff and what's going on with Barton that they won't be monitoring the rest of the building. Banner, you will get them to take Romanoff to medical, it's near the interrogation rooms. Don't ever let her out of your sight. Once you get to medical, disarm your escorts and head toward interrogation, we'll meet you there."
"What if they have moved Barton back to the holding cells?" Hill asks.
"I was going to send Stark and a team of three down there. I don't think he'll be there but we need to cover that to make sure." Steve continued explaining details and handing out assignments. "We are going to have to be real precise in our timing since we really can't communicate. Also keep in mind that we are disarming not trying to kill anyone. These are our fellow agents, not everyone inside may be under…Turncoat's command. And even those that are may just be confused since Director Fury has been missing. That's all I got, anything to add sir?"
"Stark how much time do you need to pick me up?" Fury stated.
"Twenty minutes tops."
"Okay. Factor that time into your plan Rogers., Stark and I will meet you at the service entrance."
"Yes sir. Tony where do we need to drop you off so that you can get to Fury?"
"Nowhere," Tony says taping the oddly shaped suitcase at his feet. "I've got my own transportation."
Steve looked at his watch, Bruce and Natasha should have been going through the front door of S.H.I.E.L.D. at that moment. He sighed deeply, if anything happened to Natasha he'd never forgive himself. If she got hurt or worse, whatever Clint would do to him wouldn't be a fraction of what he would do to himself mentally. But she wanted to be here, he needed her to be here. He believed that they were the only ones truly worried about getting Barton out in one piece. Whatever else he felt about her would have to wait until all this was over.
Bruce managed to convince Natasha to let him carry her in. He wanted her off the leg as much as possible, hell he wanted her in Tony's guest room heavily medicated and asleep but obviously that wasn't going to happen. Bruce's logic that carrying her would allow him to cover her with a blanket and she could hide her guns underneath seemed to work. Natasha was pretending to be passed out, to ease any confrontation with staff so he had to struggle getting into the main doors by himself.
Ten steps in Bruce and Natasha were met by two men with guns.
"Stop right there, hands where I can see them."
"I can't really move my hands without dropping the lady, and she's injured enough already. I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, this is Agent Natasha Romanoff, she's injured very badly and needs immediate medical assistance."
"Place her on the ground and we'll take it from here, Dr. Banner."
"I don't think so. She's my team member and patient. I will sit her down when I'm placing her on a bed in front of a competent medical professional."
"Don't make me shoot you."
"You won't shoot me. You know why?" Bruce starts moving forward. "Because I'm Dr. Banner. You know my story, you know what happens when I get angry and I assure you, shooting me makes me very angry."
The one agent lowers his gun and motions the other to do the same. "I was on the Helicarrier when he became the green guy. There is not enough room in here to get away... Follow us Dr. Banner."
Tony landed with Fury three blocks away from S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters so they wouldn't be seen by the building's external cameras. Fury also might have needed the walk to regain his composure after being flown from the roof of Stark Tower.
"Not one word Stark, not one fucking word."
"What? I thought you did really well for your first time." Fury stopped walking long enough to give Tony a murderous stare. "But no one need know anything about it."
With the help of JARVIS they were able to make it to the back service entrance with less than a couple of seconds of being in the sweep of the security cameras. Once they had joined Steve and the rest of the team the vent cover was already open and a pair of feet was sticking out of it. "Okay Banks you can head in now." Steve called up to the agent in the vent shaft. About five minutes later the agent was opening the door and letting them in.
Bruce laid Natasha down on one of the beds in the medical room. The doctor on call quickly shooed the other agents out and closed the door. Walking over to Bruce he whispered directly into his ear, "Why the hell did you bring her back here?"
"We are not the only one's here doc."
The doctor was visibly relieved. "I've tried to get in to see Agent Barton several times, I'm usually supposed to be in the room during those… sessions but they won't let me in."
"We're going to get him out."
"Both of you? Has she healed that much? I got to see her briefly when she first came back from her kidnapping, and she didn't look good at all."
"She's not 100% by any means but are you going to tell her no?" The doctor's eyes widened and he shook his head. "We need to get out of here and down to the interrogation room."
"I can see that but there is the problem of the two gentlemen with guns outside the door. They aren't going anywhere as long as she's in here."
Bruce walks over to Natasha, still pretending to be unconscious. "It's okay Romanoff, he's on our side, and he's going to help us get out of here."
Natasha opens her eyes, glances at the doctor and then back to Bruce, "How?"
"I have a plan but I'll need one of your guns."
Natasha hands Bruce the gun, "Don't screw this up Banner."
The rest of the team arrive at the point they are to split up. "Do a quick sweep, if you don't find Barton down there, head toward the interrogation room. We should be there a few minutes before you unless we encounter resistance," Steve reminds Tony.
"So basically I'm getting sent on a fool's errand while you get to party with the bad guys."
"Not necessarily Stark. We are flying blind here. I'm betting he's in interrogation, if he's not we are heading your way and being your back up. Besides it doesn't matter who rescues him, as long as we get him out of here."
"And kick that fucking handler's ass in the process."
The smile that spread across Steve's face Tony would've described as just this side of evil. "Let's move out."
"Hey, hey you out there I need help!" The doctor yelled. Seconds later the agents came running in to find Natasha thrashing on the medical table. "I need you to hold her down." The agents move forward to help, but one notices Dr. Banner in the far corner with his back turned.
"Why isn't he helping?"
"He's prepping a sedative for Romanoff, the stress of trying to hold her down was upsetting him too much. Now help me so she doesn't injure herself more." The doctor was managing to keep her arms down so the agents each took a leg, trying to pin it to the bed as Natasha continued to thrash. Suddenly, one agent lets go of her leg and collapses to the floor. The other agent turns to find Bruce standing near him with a gun pointed at his head.
"You have two choices, let me tranquilize you or I can hit you in the back of head with this gun like I did your friend."
"You would have to put the gun down either way and I can get to you faster than you can do either of those."
Natasha sat up pointing her gun at the agent, "But are you faster than me?"
The agent puts his hands up. "Okay, I'll take the needle. Dr. Banner, I never took you for a traitor."
"I'm not a traitor, neither is she. Someone has sold a bunch of lies."
With help from JARVIS Tony's team is able to exploit blind spots in the security camera coverage and avoid occupied areas on their way to the holding cells. Tony considers sending Fury a report detailing the holes in S.H.I.E.L.D. security but decides he may need to use them later. As expected Barton is not there but the cells are occupied with other agents.
"We'll come back and get you later," Tony tells the imprisoned agents. "I've got a plan that if you don't have a gun you're probably going to be safer in a cell." The rest of his team all give him looks that border on scared or angry that they got stuck on his team. "Hear me out first. By the time we get to the interrogation room the other team will be fully engaged with Dumbo's goon squad. The less people they have to fight to get to Barton the better. So we are going to create a disturbance. No more hiding folks we are bringing Mardi Gras to the battle. Make as much noise, show up on as many cameras as possible and keep your eyes peeled for hostiles. As Cap said, don't kill them but we got to keep them away from interrogation. Got it?"
Steve was only a little intimidated having both Fury and Hill on his team but he figured no one else would want Fury breathing over their shoulder. He still felt like his Avenger Initiative team was looked at as a bunch of dysfunctional adolescents and figured this would be an opportunity to show that they could get it together when it counts.
"Hill, how far before we reach the interrogation rooms."
"Couple minutes, if we take the direct route…" Hill's response drifted off into a hum.
"Would you like to suggest another route?"
"Well I was thinking, if Banner and Romanoff are going to be coming from medical, if we came at it through the administrative offices we will end up in the other end of the hallway from where they enter interrogation. If we go through supply that hallway will be perpendicular to their location and we would just have to hope they are there, we wouldn't have any way of knowing. And besides if Stark's team makes it up in time, they will already be going through supply so we'll all be in the same hallway."
"Your plan makes a lot of sense, thank you."
"I'm going through supply; I'll meet up with Stark's team." Fury interjected.
"You don't have a gun sir." Steve responded.
"Which is why I'm going to supply, I feel naked out here without something."
"At least take another agent with you as backup until you have a weapon." Steve figures him, Hill, and one other agent will be enough if they get to interrogation before everyone else.
Fury steps right up to Steve's face "Do I give you the impression I need back up?"
"No sir. Okay team, follow Hill. Good luck sir."
Tony and his team were almost to the hallway that would lead to the interrogation rooms. Their noisy escapades had netted them a good dozen captures. So far they hadn't had to shoot, since the agents they encountered where either alone or with one other person, either way they knew they were outmatched against Iron Man and his team. The first two they had to knock unconscious, once they were able to raid the supply area, they simply zip tied and gagged the rest.
Since they didn't know how many agents were on the other side Tony could only hope that they had taken a large amount out of the game, they would know soon enough.
Natasha borrowed a crutch from the medical area which still allowed her to carry a gun, Bruce had the other. They hadn't encountered anyone so far and she was hoping that if all the other agents were stationed at interrogation that Steve and Tony's teams got there before they did. She only had so many bullets and she really didn't want an appearance by Bruce's not so little friend.
She had to force herself to move slowly, she was so ready for this to be over, ready to get Clint out and try to forget this mess ever happened or the mess that she was going to have to deal with later. Steve. No matter how he had tried to cover it up she knew he was looking at her in a different way now. She'd be lying if she didn't admit she felt differently too. But now was not the time to even think about it, Natasha shook her head hoping to throw away this line of thinking.
"You okay, Romanoff?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah, just trying to focus that's all."
Bruce took a quick look around the corner that led down the hallway to the interrogation room. "Two armed guys outside the room. I didn't see Rogers and others but for all I know they could be around a corner like us."
"We have to assume they are there or just a few minutes away. We have to create a distraction."
"How?"
Natasha pokes her gun at Bruce's side. "Walk."
Fury turned, gun drawn, as soon as he heard all the noise. He really wanted to take the opportunity to take a shot at Stark just because, but this was not the time, besides there were witnesses. Instead he made a quick gesture and the other agents quieted down, Stark followed suit about thirty seconds later. "What in the hell do you think you are doing?" Fury whispered.
"It's called creating a diversion." Tony replied.
"Well since we are within 100 feet of the target location I think drawing people here would be a bad idea. Don't you?"
"Oh…What are you doing here? I thought you were on Cap's away team."
"Needed to stop by supply and get me a new toy. Now everyone follow me, it's a long hallway so they'll likely see us before we get there, be prepared."
"Excuse me, this is my team, I'll tell them what to do."
"Stark this is not the time."
"Oh it's very much the time."
"Fine, your team, you tell them what to do."
"Okay… what he said was a good idea. Fury lead, I'll be behind him, everyone else behind me."
"Sure you don't want to be in front Stark."
"Fury I never want you behind me with a gun."
Hill risks a quick look around the corner. "I've got two agents who seem to be guarding the interrogation room and nothing else. We know there has got to be at least Turncoat, Strickland and his team in there. Not sure if he'd want any other witnesses."
Steve checks his watch. "Well, let's give everyone five minutes to get into position and then we'll move in."
"I hope everyone else is ready."
"So do I Hill, so do I."
"What the hell are you doing Natasha?" says a startled Bruce.
"Taking you to my comrades."
"You are a traitor. Romanoff how could…"
Natasha sighs audibly, "Never done role-play have you Banner?"
"Huh? Oh… I'm such an idiot."
"Only if you can't convince them you're my prisoner." Natasha removes her other gun from Bruce's hand and with one gun pointed at his head, the other at his side, she leaves the crutch behind and heads down the hallway towards the interrogation room.
"Hold it right there, drop your weapons," one of the agents in front of the door commands.
"I've brought a prisoner."
"We know it's a trick, Romanoff. You are still on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side, we knew that when they first brought you in."
"I was… out of my head when I came back. I'm better now." Natasha pushes Bruce to continue moving a few steps closer, "Are you going to help me take Banner down to the holding cells or not?"
"I don't think so. Put down your weapons or I'll drop you."
"Really? If you shoot me, then you've lost your best new recruit. If you miss and shoot him, there is a good chance the monster comes out, and you are right in his line of sight. Do you want to risk that?"
"Why hasn't he changed already?"
"Because he's not sure if I'm lying to you or lying to him. Thanks to the good doctor in medical Banner has enough sedatives in him to bring down an elephant. If he were a normal man he'd be out for a day or two, instead he's just in a brain fog. One that will wear off soon and I'd like to have several layers of cell between him and me when that happens don't you?" The agents are having a discussion Natasha can't quite hear but they never take their eyes or guns off of her. "Look why don't you just get Agent," she tries to remove any bitterness in her voice as she says their handler's name, "Lewis out here. Apparently this decision is way above your mental capacity."
"Put down your weapons and I'll consider it."
"Not going to happen. Get Lewis and I'll consider it."
"You drop your weapons now Romanoff and kick them towards me," One of the guards starts walking toward Natasha and Bruce. "I'll take possession of your prisoner; you will get down on your knees, and put your hands behind your head."
"I don't think so son." Steve's voice came from behind the guards. The other guard turned to point his gun at Steve to find he was instead facing down three guns and a super soldier. The sound of running came from the other hallway. The guard's hope of reinforcements died when Fury's voice ordered them to drop their weapons. Steve pushed past the other agents heading straight for the door of interrogation room. He and Fury reach the door at the same time.
"Are you going to open the door Fury or do I need to take it off the hinges," Steve snaps off, with a barely restrained growl.
"Captain Rogers, do not take that tone with me."
"Then don't let this happen to my team ever again."
"You don't order me around Captain Rogers." Nick Fury slides an override key in the slot and opens the door. Steve pushes past him and is stopped in his tracks by the tableau he's presented. Strickland stands against the wall casually smoking a cigar while one man stands with a large clear container full of water. Another man is crouched down behind a chair, holding down the towel that is wrapped around the tilted back head of the person sitting in the chair. The towel is dripping water into a metal tub beneath it. The person in the chair is bound to it with cord around their forearms and ankles. The bound person's arms are covered with cuts and soot-edged burn marks. Steve can't think for a moment that the person is Clint, lest he completely goes out of his mind with rage.
Fury steps in front of a frozen Captain America. "Strickland out. Take your goon squad with you."
"We are under orders," Strickland replies.
"Parsons is no longer," Fury paused for effect and slightly implied threat, "with the Council."
Strickland looks around at his crew, "Wrap up guys, apparently we are no longer needed." Strickland's crew begins picking up equipment and file out of the room. Before leaving Strickland cuts away the restraints and removes the towel from Clint's face. Clint takes in a deep ragged breath and before he can take another, Steve is at his side.
"Clint…Clint… Hawkeye!" Clint turns in the general direction of Steve but his head is bobbling like someone on a three-day bender. Water streams down his face in little rivers from his hair, from his nose, from his eyes, bubbling from his mouth. He tries to focus on the voice he hears and the familiar face he sees by it's all still surreal. Any moment he expects darkness again. He leans over coughing and spitting out water, the whole time he feels a comforting hand on his back. A small voice in his head is trying to tell him it's over, but he's heard those lies before.
Meanwhile Natasha enters the room spotting their turncoat handler, Lewis, in the corner slowly attempting to make a getaway while no one is looking. "You son of a bitch." In a few steps Natasha is on him with her guns pointed and pushed into his chest. Everything she experienced those five days comes flooding into her mind. Every part of her is trembling, except for her trigger fingers; they are as steady as ever and itching to put an end to Agent Lewis, turncoat, traitor.
"Romanoff, stand down. I don't want to repaint the walls in here." Natasha doesn't even acknowledge Fury words but tilts her head as Lewis begins to look a lot like Kolstov to her.
"Try and make me nothing did you? I'll make you less than nothing; I will end your existence." Natasha moves her guns up so that they are pointed under Lewis' chin. Then she feels arms wrapping around her waist holding her close.
"Natasha, no. He's just a pawn; you don't want his blood on your hands." Steve removes one arm from her waist and slowly moves his hand up her arm and attempts to remove the gun from her hand. After a few attempts she releases her grip on the weapon. He takes the other gun as well. "It's over Natasha; we need to help Clint now," he says softly.
Natasha pulls her arm back and punches Lewis in the face and brings her knee up between his legs before stepping back to let him collapse on the floor. "Now it's over."
"Cap'… Nat?" Clint manages a strangled whisper before being wracked with coughs.
Natasha rushes past Steve and drops to her knees at Clint's side, taking his hand into hers, "I'm here Clint." Clint collapses forward into Natasha, putting his arms tentatively around her. "I was so scared I would fail you Nat. That I couldn't hold out until you were safe." Natasha pulls Clint into a close hug.
"You did more than I ever could ask, more than I ever deserve."
"You deserve more Nat." Clint looks up at Steve, clearing his throat "Thanks for taking care of her Cap'. I knew she was safe with you." Natasha and Steve exchange a look, Steve is the first to turn away.
"It's what a good soldier does, what a boy scout is taught to do."
Natasha grabs Steve's hand, "Not good soldier, Steve, not a boy scout, you are a good man. I'll never be able to repay the debt I owe for all you did for me."
There was a rather pointed clearing of the throat that came from near the entrance to the room. "I hate to break up this Kodak moment but Romanoff and I need to have a debriefing and I'm sure medical would like to have a visit from Barton."
"He's not going to medical. I'm taking him home sir." Steve turns staring Fury right in the eye. "I think Barton has spent enough time here lately, right Clint?"
"Absolofuckinlutely."
"So I'll be taken Barton with me. Dr. Banner can check him out. Stark will have someone pick up Nata… Romanoff when you are finished debriefing her, if that is alright with Agent Romanoff."
"It's acceptable."
Fury folds his arms across his chest, "Rogers, what did I say earlier about trying to tell me what to do?"
"I'm not trying to tell you what to do sir. I'm letting you know what my team needs."
"We'll discuss this later." Fury turns to leave the room.
"Noon tomorrow okay with you sir?"
"Fine. You better be glad I like you, Rogers. Romanoff my office five minutes, let's get this debrief over with."
"Yes, sir."
Natasha helps Clint out of the chair and to his feet. "I'll get out of here as soon as I can. Steve will take good care of you," She turns to Steve, "won't you?"
"Of course."
Steve is still avoiding looking at her directly. Natasha runs her fingers along Steve's jaw and points his face to where he can't avoid seeing her eyes. "We will talk later." She smiles as she says it but Steve is convinced that his heart isn't going to want to hear anything she has to say.
