Chapter 25

After a few days of planning, the Avengers finally were putting the plan into action. They were just about to land at an abandoned Army bunker that Fury had located that had been rumoured to be the hideout of a known assassin trainer, Erik Hofstung.

That explained the E that had been on Hazel's new uniform and they knew it was the same guy that had brainwashed her as before. Once the jet landed, Iron Man went ahead blowing up the doors so they could take the building hostage to find Hazel.

They hadn't been expecting everyone to be dead and no sign of Hazel.

Bruce walked cautiously down some stairs and into a very posh looking room compared to the rest of the bunker. It had wooden walls and a smooth carpet, with a chandelier and some fancy furniture. What caught Bruce's eye though, was the man that was sitting slumped in the chair.

As they all walked around the bunker, it was Bruce who's voice was the first one to alert them to something suspicious. In minutes they were all standing in the office of the man called Erik and he was clearly dead. Bruce leaned over and pulled the card he had in his mouth out of his mouth and showed it to the rest.

It was a picture of a fox and a falcon. Clint was the first to realise it.

"The falcon represents Hazel. And I think the fox is the guy she partnered with." Everyone nodded and let the pieces fall into place when Clint suddenly started laughing.

"You've lost it." Tony spoke and Clint shook his head.

"Guys, Hazel escaped. She's safe and out there somewhere." Soon everyone was happily celebrating not bringing up the fact they would still actually have to find her. They got back into the jet and started to fly back when Natasha's phone rang.

"Agent Romanoff." She rolled her eyes at whoever was on the other side of the phone.

"Always to the point Director." Everyone turned their attention to her curiously. She smirked at the voice on the other end.

"That's our girl."

"Right. Whatever."

"Yeah. Bye."

She hung up and turned to face the rest of the Avengers, a grin plastered across her face. They all leaned forward in anticipation.

"Hazel stole an army jet." Everyone shared shocked looks before Tony burst out laughing. Soon the rest had joined in laughing and they spent the rest of the journey joking around.

Hazel and Jared quickly abandoned the jet once they landed in New Mexico. They walked across the desert for a while as they chatted.

"I've got a brother. I found out about two months ago now." Jared raised an eyebrow.

"Wow." Hazel laughed and nodded at his reaction.

"He's Hawkeye, you know, Clint Barton?" Jared stopped in his tracks and his jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me?! Him and his partner are what we were trained to mirror!" As soon as the words came out, they understood.

Hazel's eyes grew wide. "Oh my god. They wanted us to kill them." Her and Jared stood there for a moment longer, not sure how to react. Once they finally continued to walk through the desert, neither of them uttered a word until Jared thought something up.

"So whats the plan? We hide out in some little village?" He asked, almost sarcastically. Hazel rolled her eyes.

"You're an idiot. Don't you remember the lodge Erik owned over here?" Jared's eyes sparked with recognition and he laughed.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Hazel rolled her eyes and lightly hit his shoulder while smiling.

"You're an idiot. I've already said this." He rolled his eyes and soon they found themselves at the lodge, key already in hand.

Jared heaved a sigh of relief as Hazel unlocked the door. They kicked off their shoes as they closed the door behind them, Jared going straight to the kitchen. Hazel rolled her eyes as he immediately was rummaging through the cupboards.

She turned on the TV and changed the channel to the news. She started to chuckle as the headline story was about a jet being stolen from the army. Just as she was about to yell out to Jared to tell him that they had made the news, there was a clatter and a yell of delight as Jared emerged from the kitchen, chicken soup in hand.

Hazel raised an eyebrow at him and muttered a sarcastic reply. "So you're ill now?" Jared ignored her comment and filled one of the pans with the soup, getting straight to work. Hazel wasn't a good cook but Jared was amazing at cooking, from Mexican food to Haggis to Chinese, he could do it all.

Hazel rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the Television. She found them moved on from a different news story but to one that interested her. A hiker had stumbled upon their old HQ, all the dead bodies still there and decomposing. She started to talk when the doorbell rang and Jared yelled over the top of her, telling her to get the door because he was cooking his soup.

Hazel subconsciously picked up her gun and tucked it into the back of her jeans, she hadn't been expecting anyone to have found them that quickly. She opened the door and stared at the person at the doorframe. She felt a small smile fall on to her lips and she removed her fingers from the edge of the gun and brought her hand back to her side.

"How did you know?" She mused, pleased their tracking was getting much better. She laughed lightly as the figure huffed and crossed their arms, obviously not in the mood for her attitude.

Nick Fury stepped a little bit closer to the door and Hazel stopped laughing as she studied his face.

"You have no idea what has happened to them all since you went." Hazel hung her head in shame slightly and Fury felt slightly bad. He went to say something when the door swung wide open and Jared stood, awkwardly drinking his soup from a cup.

Fury must have recognised him as almost instantly, his gun's safety was clicked off and his finger was on the trigger aimed right for Jared's heart.

Hazel moved in front of Jared and Fury lowered his gun, unhappy.

"This is Jared. He was brainwashed too." Fury nodded slightly and put his gun away.

He turned around, his cloak blowing behind him and he yelled over his shoulder at them.

"Don't pack anything. We have it all, just bring your weapons. Two minutes before the helicopter leaves for the Helicarrier." Hazel grunted but accepted it and her and Jared quickly gathered her bow and arrows and his gun and knives.

They headed out to the helicopter that Fury was waiting in. He smiled as they got in and Hazel rolled her eyes.

"Welcome back Agent Barton."