Vast bodies of water was one of his least favorite things. Suspended in mid-air above it all wasn't any better. Height wasn't the problem, it was depth that made him wary. Not many people knew of the fears that lurked in the back of Clint Barton's mind and he would like to keep it that way.

Hidden away in one of his "nests" on the helicarrier, Clint looked out the little window and at the cloudless sky. He took a slow and calculating look down at the ocean that seemed to shimmer beneath the sun's light. It seemed safe to watch at this distance but the idea of suddenly plummeting down into it filled him with a wave of nausea.

Oh memories. How you torture me so, he thought bitterly.

Though he and the others who'd been on the helicarrier on that fateful day had indeed survived with the help of Tony and Steve, it still didn't stop the horrors from resurfacing. And by those on the helicarrier who survived... it was best not to get into that. Thoughts could be poisonous. Especially if they dwelled on memories. Especially if they were not so good memories.

Clint stretched his legs within his tight space. His secret area looked to be made for him as it could only house one person at a time. A lot of his hidden areas were made this way. Whoever designed the helicarrier probably had him in mind or someone like him. Someone who, somedays, needed an escape from it all.

"Agent Barton." His earpiece came to life by the sound of Maria Hill's voice.

Time to himself was always short and depending on his mood, enjoyable until he was called upon.

"Barton. You're needed on deck. An order by Fury." Her words were quick and to the point, as per usual. Rarely did she waste her breath on things that needed no explanation. An order by Fury being one of them.

Suppressing a sigh, the archer slipped half of his body out of his nest and grabbed onto a pole directly to his right. He slid down the metal beam effortlessly, his boots making contact with the cage flooring in a clatter. Barton was more skillful than that but it helped in releasing whatever frustration that skulked inside of him.

The halls of the air-bounded machine were quiet save for the boots and shoes that padded along the floors. A voice or two could be heard, rarely was it from casual conversation. It was business. Almost always business that lit the place up. And for those days where it wasn't all business, where glee and sometimes sorrow filled the skies, it was on days of success and of failures. On days where battles were won and death was imminent.

Surely Clint was punishing himself by remembering the very things he wished not to. But it wasn't as if the terror fashioned by Loki and the chituari was a long time ago. The thoughts from that day, from the days of preparation to the final barrage, seared his mind from time to time. And he as well as others, he was sure, were learning how to take those memories that made them meek and weak in the middle of the night after waking from hellish nightmares and turning them into strengths. It was a slow and ardous process and it was why, sometimes, it was best left untampered with.

As he crossed the way onto the deck of the helicarrier, Clint looked over all the agents who took to their tasks. The round table that housed many of his bosses meetings was empty. Passing his own usual seat, a ghost of a feeling crept over him; dread. The room was oddly silent. No one called orders nor did they announce any information they may have found. Looking closely, though, one could see that each man and woman that resided in the confines of the ship looked to each other in hesitance and interest.

Looming over an agent feet from where Barton stopped to watch the others, Director Nick Fury pushed his tongue against his cheek. His lips were pressed firmly against one another and his brow in its constant furrow. He watched as his agent dragged his finger over the screens at his station, uploading a video for the boss to see.

"Sir." Clint called.

Fury turned his head slightly in the archer's direction. He looked him over then slowly turned back to the screens he'd been eyeing.

"Agent Barton," he acknowledged.

Voices emitted from a screen which the agent focused on. Clint tapped his fingers against his thigh with a frown.

"Hill said I'm needed," he said as he strolled over to Fury's side. "What for?"

The director kept his eyes on the screen as it played a video. Barton's scowl deepened at the imagery.

It was dark and the quality of whatever camera that was being used was poor. Shadows and some facial features could be detected but the rest was a guess. The position was awkward and Clint assumed that it was a homemade security camera. The surrounding area was rundown and he watched as he matched the voices to the people on the screen.

"What's Agent Landis doing there?"

The other agents who were around visibly tensed at the archer's question. They knew something and it was slowly driving Clint up the wall as no one answered him.

"Director-"

"We have a mole, Agent Baton." Nick said as he turned to the other man.

Clint's forehead creased as he processed what he'd been told. He looked at the screen again and saw Andrew whispering harshly to the other figure.

No. "No."

"No?" Fury raised his eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, sir but this has to be a mistake. Andrew wouldn't," he felt the words get caught in his throat. "No."

"Then why was he seen with a member of HYDRA?" Barton turned to the sound of Maria's voice. "And why would he tell them about us and the Avengers?"

Clint whirled back to the video and pushed forward until he had control of the screens. He pressed the pads of his fingers against the image and expanded it to grab a better glimpse of the man he came to know as Andrew Landis. Agent Andrew Landis. He tapped at another screen as files of individuals who were identified or assumed to be HYDRA members scrolled by. Going back to the video he could faintly see the resemblance of one of the men who was listed in the files. Using his skills, he touched the different panels of imagery and ran a scan for both Andrew and the man's face. He wanted to identify them properly. He wanted to prove that it wasn't Andrew or at least if it was, that the man wasn't a member of HYDRA.

The faces of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents appeared and disappeared at a face pace as it ran the test. Settling on different facial features to identify one of the men. Another scan was being done on another screen, faces of known enemies within HYDRA's facility.

A beeping sound came from one panel as it brought up Andrew's file, the word "MATCH" blinking persistently.

Barton shook his head as he and the others waited for the next match.

Soon enough, the beeping came as it was affirmed that the man in the video who'd been talking to Andrew was indeed affiliated with HYDRA. Clint eyed the man's file and searched hastily for what he needed to prove the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's innocence. He scrolled down to the man's alliance with HYDRA and saw that he was an assumed accomplice of the group.

"There." Clint pointed at the screen. "It's been assumed that he's worked with HYDRA. It doesn't say that he is a member."

"Barton." Nick started.

"Andrew wouldn't do this."

"Barton."

"He's not stupid. Why would he do this in front of a camera? He's too good at this stuff to allow himself to be captured like that."

"Clint." Fury's voice was firm and it had caught the other man off guard when he called him by his first name. "Agent Hill will take you to your quarters and brief you on your mission."

Clint looked at Maria and back at Nick and shook his head softly.

"And?"

Nick's face never faltered when he played boss. He was always strong, no matter how tough things got.

"Keep an eye on him."

The archer frowned. Was that what he needed to do? Keep an eye on Andrew? Was he telling Maria to keep an eye on him?

Turning away, he followed after Hill's retreating form. He couldn't fathom the idea that Andrew, of all people would betray S.H.I.E.L.D.. In all his years working here, Clint knew the man to be one of the most faithful agents around. Next to Coulson, really. And with Coulson gone, it was Landis who was on top.

"Your mission." Maria drew Clint out of his thoughts with a soft voice. She didn't want the others who were on board to hear them as she briefed him. "Agent Landis is still in New York working with Stark. Your mission entails you to go to New York-you have an apartment that's been set up for you-and you are to make your way into Stark Industries. Your job: Watch over Landis in secret and use S.H.I.E.L.D. as a reason behind your stay. The rest of the details is in a manila slipped under your door."

"Maria." Clint stopped the agent. "Do you believe it?"

"The proof is right there, Agent Barton."

He sighed irritably. "Stop it with the agent stuff and just give me a simple yes or no. Do you believe it?"

There was a hint of lethargy in her eyes as she breathed. When she had found out about it herself, it took her a minute to process it as the information coursed through her mind. It had to have been a mistake, she believed but it was there. The evidence. And to have it proven to her the second time around with Barton running the tests, it felt alarming, to say the least.

The woman cared for Andrew. She thought that after Coulson had passed-no. After he had been murdered, that it was over. After the war, Andrew came back from his mission in the South and when she and the others saw him, there was a light about him that broke them down. He and Coulson weren't alike but there was a friendship, an alliance the two held that made them strong. Not just in general but in everyone's eyes. And after having lost whatever it was that made them see that in Phil; all the other members of S.H.I.E.L.D. were damned if they were to lose that with Andrew as well.

But now with this...

Despite the doubt that filled Maria, there was a glimmer of hope that was centered in her very being. And Barton seemed to be having the same feeling.

"I don't know, Clint. Just keep an eye on him."

"An eye on him like what Fury wants? Or an eye on him like what you think?"

Maria bit the inside of her cheek as she frowned. "Keep an eye on him," she stated more strongly.

He sensed it. From the director and from Hill. There was more to this story than they knew. If anything, Fury probably knew more than all the agents on board combined. But Barton knew Andrew had something up his sleeve. He would play nice with the director and do his job. He would play along and watch Andrew in secret, but there was something there and everyone just might regret it after having identified one of their best agents as a mole.

Andrew. You better be fucking with me.

AN: And there you have it. At some point or another S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to get involved.
This filler was nice to write because I believe there should be more Clint because he's awesome. (Even though he could get pretty useless in certain issues.) Anywho...

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for any grammatical errors. And reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated!
Until then you awesome critters.
Much love! xo.