After I had sat there for a while, contemplating my life, starting to hyperventilate, I lay down on my bed, looking at the ceiling. I needed distraction. Distraction… I bolted upright. There was an idea, something that exited me and scared me at the same time.
I opened up the laptop again, staring at it intensely. Out of nowhere the screen lit up. A small, satisfied smirk appeared on my face. Frowning, I concentrated harder. The laptop turned on, and opened the login screen. While all the keys stayed still, the small stars indicating the passwords appeared, and gave access to the computer. I sighed, and let myself fall on my back.
This trick I had discovered a little while ago – after I had had a nightmare, a terrible nightmare. I had been about Bucky, or the Winter Soldier. I had seen the change appear in his eyes, turn his face colder than his metal arm. Someone had lifted a gun, no, I had, it was who did it, and shot him, through the head. I had awoken shaking and covered in sweat.
For a long while I had been gazing at the computer with my mind blank. I had no idea how I did it, it just responded, like computer had always done, the way I had always known how to code.
Naturally I hadn't told anyone yet – because it not only intrigued me, it simultaneously scared me. Where did this come from?
'Hey Clint,' I said, walking down the stairs. He was rearranging his arrows – typical. 'Do you want pancakes?'
It was amazing how quickly his neutral expression could grow into a wide grin. It made me feel a little bit better.
'How's everyone?' I asked, grabbing all the ingredients.
'Fine, I guess. Thor had some "urgent matters" in Asgard, but everyone else is in the Tower, so…' silence fell. I baked, while Clint made his way through the house, checking god knows what. Suddenly his phone buzzed, still on the couch.
I walked towards it, grabbed it, and stared.
HYDRA IN TOWER
THEY BROUGHT THE SCEPTER
'Clint!' My voice broke as I called out. 'Clint!'
Within seconds he stormed into the room. I could only hold up the phone, my eyes large with panic. A long series of curse words flowed from his mouth, all the while he stormed into another room, came back with a duffel bag and grabbed my wrist.
'We have to go,' he grunted, already dragging me out the door. Hardhandedly he pushed me into the car parked outside, and I barely sat down before we already drove off.
'Are we going to help them?' I asked when I had finally processed everything.
'What?' he exclaimed, 'of course not! I have to get you out of here. That's my job, protecting you. When we're somewhere safe, we can think what to do.'
I heard his words, but the meaning didn't get through. The sceptre… I knew this was why Clint was so agitated and stressed; bad guys they could handle, potential mind control… not so much. I had heard the stories of the last time the sceptre had been used, and had seen Clint's face turn to stone every time the subject arose.
We were already on some highway when I realised I was still clamping Clint's phone, my knuckles white. Without having to ask him, I threw it out of the window, and could see it splatter against the asphalt.
I looked at Clint, who nodded approvingly. For a moment we held each other's gaze. They would come for us; we both knew it. And they would stop at nothing.