I woke up to a blinding light in my face, feeling myself being strapped down to some sort of bed, almost the same way as before in Bruce's lab. But this was different, this wasn't safe. There were things that I never saw before, the same with the scent and the feeling of the room. I was no longer safe, now I was in deep trouble. I then remembered, back on base, I was attacked in the dead of night.
Attacked and kidnapped.
I opened my eyes completely and saw myself in a room with several large machines surrounding me against the walls and humming. I saw some of them were scientific, looking at brainwaves and pulses. I cringed, looked around me some more and seeing that it was all of glass windows, so that anyone can look in. This was bad, real bad. I knew that wherever I was, it was going to be the end of me. Where were the Avengers? Where was I? I had to find out where I was, and get out as fast as I could. It made me wonder if the Avengers were going to come after me, could they? What about Clint? I prayed to God that he would.
"It looks like I didn't kill you fast enough back there." I heard next to me and I looked over, seeing none other than Schmit walking over to me, his left arm in a sling and I felt more fear going through me then ever. However, I knew I should not even show it in front of him, it would show that I'm weak, and that was something that I was not. Not even close. I saw the sling his arm was in, and inside I was glad it was Clint that did that.
"Pity for you." I replied back to him, seeing him smile and look down at his sling.
"I have your teammate to thank for this. Sadly he didn't the job completely, and I'm still here." he said aloud to me, smiling that same horrid grin on his face. I stared at him a serious stare, hoping to show that I wasn't weak at all. He started to walk around me, making me wonder what he was up to.
"Do you have any idea as to why I have you here?" He asked me, having a small smirk on his face. I squirmed in my seat, not wanting to sit too still.
"You want my intelligence for your hacking needs." I replied back to him, not wanting to be dumb and say nothing. He chuckled, nodding his head as he faced me completely now.
"You make it sound so simple." he replied to me, having me trying to keep calm in my seat. But I saw him inch closer to me as he peered into my eyes with his dark eyes, making me think of him not as human as all.
"I'm wanting more than just your intelligence, I want all you have in that brain of yours. And I saw what I can do with you, from the little weapon I used on your earlier. Apparently it worked, absorbing your brain through technology and this cube." He explained in his thick accent as he walked over to one of the machines and pointed to the middle of it. There was a cube in the middle of it, glowing with the same color and shade as the weapon in San Francisco.
"Extraordinary isn't it? Being able to absorb a person's brain without needing surgery at all. In short, my dear, I want your brain." He said to me, his voice was low and sinister as I looked at him with some horror on my face, "I've developed a way to take our all you ever had in that brain of yours: memories, facts, knowledge, and emotions. I placed them in this machine, and you turn into a vegetable. It's it wonderful? There's no need for surgery, so the mess is less of an issue."
"And you want to do this to everyone?" I asked him, trying to break off my straps that I was under.
"Not just do that, but give them something to feed off of. Once I take their brain, they'll need someone to think about, to believe in. So I'll give it to them, all that I've ever wanted in a world." he explained to me, making me cringe thinking about him stealing his brains for slavery. It was wrapped, wrong on so many levels, and it scared me to death.
"Do you honestly think that your plan will work without my team having something to do about it?" I asked him in a confident tone. He looked over at me, a small twinge of hate in his eyes as I mentioned my team to him. I knew I must of hit a nerve with him, seeing that he failed once with us on the prowl.
"I'm not afraid of a ragtag group of insignificant beings who can't live up to my power." He said to me in a sneer, having me see his true hatred to them. He them smiled, looking down at his wounded arm and then back at me.
"The next one after you to go under, is the one who did this to me." He said, walking over to the machine and turning them one, I can hear the whizzing sound of the machines buzzing and warming up. I saw two soldiers coming into the room, both standing by Schmit. He looked over at the both of them.
"Start the process. Make sure no one disturbs the operation, and I want all of her brain." He said aloud to them, walking away and out of the door. From there I saw one of the soldiers getting gloves on and a mask as the other went to the door and locked it. I knew then that if there was any hope at all, anyone that was going to get me out of there, they better start now as I heard the machine going on full mode. I waited for the pain, the numbing of my skin and the seizures to come. I also knew that this time I wash going to die for real. I wasn't going to have my memories anymore, no more being with the Avengers. No more being on crazy adventures, and no more Clint. My heart ached from that thought: no more seeing him, hearing his voice, feeling his hand near mine. It was too much for me to think about, since I was practically in love with him and I won't ever see him again. Can I fight my way through this time? Am I strong enough? I wish I told him that I loved him, something for him to know I died.
But as I waited, nothing happened. I looked up and saw something extraordinary happen. Something shot through the window of the room, making me look and see it skimmed my strap, breaking it free and hitting the main machine. The machine spurted in sparks and died, making me smile as the soldier went to see what was going as the other looked out the window to see who shot. But I knew, seeing the spike sticking out of the machine. I smiled, knowing that this wasn't my time to die, not according to my fellow Avengers. I remember seeing that same gadget of a spike in the lab back at the Helicarrier, it was made to defuse machines and make them go dead. It was smart, and I was glad it saved me. I unstrapped my other arm since my hand was free and shot up from the bed, standing completely up on the bed.
The first soldier aimed his gun at me, having me jump off the bed onto the floor before he shot, making the room explode in his bullets. I slide my leg under the second oldster, seeing him fall near the machines and I punched him out in one punch, hearing the bones in his has break as I shot up, grabbed the spike sticking through the machine and pulled it out. I threw it behind me without looking, hearing the solider gag and hit the floor within a second and I smirk, looking behind me and seeing the one person whom I didn't expect to see: Thor.
He walked through the doors and into the room, seeing me breathe heavily from my sudden attack on the soldiers and I smiled at him, seeing him look at the damage I have done while still holding his hammer.
"Looks like all I needed to do was give you leverage." He said in his beautiful tone, making me smile wider since I've miss his voice. I missed all of the Avengers.
"Thank God you came when you did. I almost got killed." I replied to him, seeing a soldier coming up behind Thor and I looked over his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw the soldier, throw out his hammer and seeing it collide into the chest of the soldier. Both the hammer and the soldier flew back and slammed into the wall, making a crushing sound of bones and metal. The Solider fell to the floor as the hammer flew back into Thor's hand. He made it seem like it was another day for him, him and his hammer.
"Where are the others?" I asked aloud moving over to stand next to him.
"Finding Schmit and stopping the machine. I volunteered to find you and bring you to safety." he said to me and I smiled, looking behind me at the machine that was going to kill me.
"We need to go and make sure Schmit does not start that machine, or else we are all screwed." I said to him as I looked back at him, seeing him nod his head, "Let's get that Bastard and end him."
"Marvelous!" He replied in a booing tone and I smiled, following him out of the room and down the hallway. I looked around me to see where I was exactly. We must be in his carrier in the Alps, hiding away from the world. I saw nothing to hint as to where we were, but I knew I could trust Thor and his way or getting in and out of places. We reached a section of four hallways running into each other and before Thor turned to go down another hallway, I looked behind me and saw three soldiers coming our way.
"Thor!" I yelled, seeing him turn and throw out his hammer. He pushed me behind him as lightning came from his hammer, hitting the soldier and having him fall to the floor in a grunt. The second soldier dodged the lightning and ducked. Then the third soldier threw out a knife at me once I moved away from Thor, making me duck and grab it from sticking it from the wall. He ran over and started sparing with me and I fought him back. Thor could handle two soldiers on his own, and I had one, which was getting rough since he took the knife out of my hand without me knowing or being prepared, slicing my neck slightly and making me kick him square in the chest. He fell back as I got up and ready for him to get up. As soon as he got up, before even raising the knife at me to strike, he stopped in his tracks and his mouth fell open. I froze in my spot, thinking something happened to him when he fell to his knees and then on his chest, with a arrow sticking out of his back. I knew that arrow, and seeing it made my heart explode when I looked up and saw him: Clint.
He walked through hallway int the middle and I saw his face, oh his face. Everything about him that I admired intensified as I saw him look over at me. He was home for me, all of him as home for me. It felt like I haven't seen him in years, beyond years really. He was holding his bow in his hand and his face gave me the notion of pure relief, that he saw heaven or something in that nature. But that look, aiming at me? I was about to say something when he dropped his bow on the floor, having me hear the metal of the bow hit the concrete floor as he walked over to me in a brisk pace, wrapped one arm around my waist and placed the other on my neck, and kissed me.
If I had any doubt of my life, where I was going and if I was worthy of anything, it flew out the window when he kissed me. Everything in me was bursting at the seams when his lips collided with mine. Everything else that was happening to us, being at Schmit's carrier in the Alps, trying to save the world of utter brain damage, and almost loosing my own life because of it, all went out the window as I felt his arm around me and his lips on me. His hold was protective, as if he was afraid I was going to be dying again and away from him. For a second I was frozen in his embrace, but I found feeling in my arms as I moved one to snake up behind his shoulder blade to pull him closer and my other hand cupped his cheek, feeling how warm his skin was. I breathed in the scent he was harboring: the smell of Old Spice and fumes from the plane, along with the faint scent of rain and nature.
The kiss was gentle yet fierce, almost as if he wanted to show everything he had for me in that kiss, and I wanted to give it back to him. All that he gave me: Safety, friendship, knowledge, faith, and above else was love. He held it there for what seemed like ages, making me feel so light in my toes and fingers that were on his face and shoulder blade. Before he could pull away I gave him a smaller kiss on the lips, feeling him tighten his grip on my lightly from that kiss and I lost contact with him on the lips.
He rested his forehead against mine, closing his eyes as he still held me and I closed mine as well. I didn't care if we were running out of time then, because it felt like we had all the time in the world holding each other. I didn't want to leave this, not now since it took me this long to kiss him. Both of his arms went around my curvy waist, holding me there and never letting me go.
"I thought of the worst" he said to me, his voice was raspy and filled with relief as I smiled, knowing that all was well now between the both of us. I could tell the way he was holding me was afraid of something happening to me. I placed both of my hands on his upper arms, feeling the muscles underneath. It was a silent way of telling him I was safe now, safe and alive.
"I've wanted to do that since Germany." He said to me, making me open my eye and see his face looking back at me, showing that what he was saying was in fact true. My heart melted for him, it melted for Hawkeye and his aim on my soul.
"As beautiful and glorious this moment is for the both of you, I believe we should depart and stop the world from destruction." Thor said in the background, having the both of us loose our moment together and look over at Thor, who smiled at us and then shrugged. I bit my lip, moving away from Clint and seeing him look down for a moment and then back up.
"Sorry about that." he said to me, almost looking like he was about to blush. I nodded my head and we were back to our normal selves, picking up the spare gun the dead soldier had on his leg, cocking it and smiling at the two men.
"Let's go." I replied, seeing Clint smile widely. He walked back to his bow and snagged it, walking back to me and taking my hand in his and the two of us following Thor down the hallway, heading towards a epic battle between good and evil and getting the world safe once more. Now I was less scared for my life.
I had a man to hold my hand every step of the way, along with my heart.
