For over two days, no one visited Clint's room to check on him. Well, more like no one entered the boy's room. They came by and dropped off food that came through some sort of panel in the wall that slid the food straight onto the table. Somehow the drop offs were perfectly timed so that Clint would never see how it got into his room. One second it wouldn't be there. The next there would be a click and a hiss then another click and Clint would look again and there would be a tray of food. No matter how hard Clint looked, the boy couldn't find any sign of a panel. No cracks, no slits nothing. It was as if it all appeared from magic.
At first, Clint wasn't concerned. Hell, he was rather pleased with this turn of events. He'd rather be left in peace. Fading into the background was one of the best things that tended to happen to him. When no one noticed him, no one hurt him. But mostly, as no one had come to see what he was doing, Clint had time to check out his room in more detail. He was able to look for means of escape. Not that there was much options in his tiny little room.
The bed was bolted securely to the ground and mostly all the bolts were rusted to the point that even with the proper tools; one might not be able to release it. As Clint had seen two days prior, the chair had free reign but it was made of cheap wood and nails. Easily broken if thrown against a wall or person. The table was similar to the bed. Securely bolted to the ground but it was also made of cheap wood in case a person was tossed against it. Both doors were made of steel and each had a handle. But the one that led outside was always locked. Needless to say, Clint still checked it every time he walked by it.
Inside the bathroom was the walk-in shower with only a small drain down at the bottom. The cover was glued down and the edges had a rubber lining that ridged up so that not all the water could properly drain. The old toilet was designed mostly into the wall. It was actually set so that to access the pipes, even to shut off the water, you'd have to break down the wall. The same was done to the moldy sink. It was so bad looking that Clint almost didn't go in, even when he had to go so bad it hurt.
There was no escape from this place until someone came by and unlocked that damn door again. But Clint was too afraid to make a noise to get someone to open it. Hell, he was almost too afraid to go to sleep for even a minute. Something about this place just freaked him out. Maybe it was the fact that Barney wasn't here. Or maybe it was because he didn't trust anyone here yet. Who knows? Either way, for the past two days, he had also been fighting sleep.
"...Abused. Yes, that does explain a lot. The silence, the staring... He'll never trust us," Lisa's voice echoed through the door. Clint groaned, rolling over on his bed to stare at the silver object in disgust. He had finally given into his exhaustion a little over an hour ago and had lain down. Stress and anxiety kept him awake for another forty minutes or so. He had only been asleep for around twenty when Lisa and her guest, Jazuat, decided to start speaking outside his door.
"There isn't much on his S.H.I.E.L.D file. It actually was never really proven. Just assumed," Jazuat's voice replied. Clint grimaced. Barney always told him to keep their father's beatings silent. The boys swore that one day they'd tell someone. Apparently they never did. Maybe it was for the best. Guess they did a good job. Jazuat continued speaking. "At age 6, his parents died in a car crash. But, that's two years in this boy's future. According to some reports from the orphanage he gets sent to, Clint was a loner. Didn't get along with the other kids and had a problem with authority, especially the male figure head there."
"So, he'd always been difficult. Is there anyone he'd be willing to open up too?" Lisa questioned, trying to sound friendly and supportive. Clint snarled as Jazuat scoffed. He wouldn't trust a damned single person that came into his room unless they were there to save him. But even then, he wouldn't trust them enough to answer questions about himself.
"That's alive or willing to help us? Doubtful. Agent Barton isn't known for keeping friends," Jazuat mentioned. Lisa snorted. Of course that would be true. Why did the only person that had to get this serum be so difficult to get through? But there was some good news from this... No friends meant, no one cared about him.
"Then no one would mind if we... Damage him?"
"It uh... Might be best to see what damage could be done on his young body now and if he gets older, to see if what we do carries along," Jazuat pointed out. Clint shuddered. This wasn't sounding good at all. Lisa barked out a loud laugh. Unbeknownst to Clint, she had been planning on this all along. She didn't need Jazuat's approval in this.
"Wow, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't screen their employees very well do they? You certainly have a very sadistic mind."
"I was fine until S.H.I.E.L.D told me they wouldn't help me with my cancer. I'm certain that if I could get a blood sample from Rogers or Banner that it could make major strides in cancer research," Jazuat grunted. Lisa snorted as if she had thought the same thing once before. Clint frowned. What did Steve and Bruce have to do with cancer research? What could their blood do? How were they any different from anyone else?
"Well, don't worry. We have Barton now. If we get this serum to work right, we can de-age cancer cells out of existence. Well, of course it wouldn't just be cancer. All disease would be wiped out; everything and anything that could kill mankind. World hunger would be over as well! We could fast forward the aging of animals, plants... The world would be saved," Lisa began spouting as if she was arguing with Jazuat. Jazuat snorted and shook his head with a smile. Lisa frowned, beginning to wonder if she had turned him away from this whole process. What did she say that upset him?
"I'm not looking into the grand scheme right now, Miss Cooper," the doctor announced. Lisa chuckled as the man continued on. "Just looking to save my own skin long enough to see my little girl grow up."
"Oh, I know. I have just been thinking this over for some time now. This argument was actually intended for Banner. But as I don't need him..."
"Won't you need the actual serum at some point?"
"The serum is in Barton. What Banner has in an abomination, rather much like himself now. And thanks to you, we have Barton's original DNA scans, so we know what the serum may have changed. Now, it's just a matter of testing," Lisa replied before Clint heard footsteps that began to fade away. The boy grunted. He really needed to get out of here soon. The longer he waited the worse it was going to get here. Especially, seeing as apparently no one cared about him.
Three more days passed with no one visiting. Meals were still delivered through that strange un-viewable panel. No one else had any strange conversations outside Clint's room. In fact, Clint wondered if he was even supposed to have heard the conversation at all. Considering the silence since then and the fact that he had been sleeping at the time, he assumed not. Clint was beginning to wonder what was actually going on. He had thought that he had been kidnapped because of something that had been done to him but considering he had been left alone for the past five days, Clint was confused. Did they plan on just leaving him here? Was he actually in a mental hospital and Lisa was the person who says if he was 'healthy' or not?
Suddenly, the silence of the past few days was broken by loud poundings of the sounds of many footfalls echoing from down the hall as they drew closer and closer to Clint's room. The boy stiffened as he sat up from his bed. He glanced at the door as the pounding silenced right outside the metal object. Someone, no, many some ones had arrived for him and they were expecting trouble. Clint frowned. He hadn't ever really given anyone any trouble before but then again... In the conversation he had overheard, he was supposed to be an 'agent' from some group. Maybe he was trained in some deadly form of martial arts or something. Looking at his hands, he couldn't think of anything though.
"He may be a four year old kid in appearance but he is a trained agent. Be prepared for trouble. We want him alive and unharmed but your guns are loaded. Only use if necessary," an unfamiliar voice told what Clint assumed was a rather large group. The boy stood up from his bed and leaned against the frame. Slowly he held his hands up in a surrender position, similar to the ways he had seen many 'bad guys' do on TV during shows Barney used to watch at home. There was no way he was going to put up a fight.
Clint barely flinched when the door suddenly burst open. He hadn't even heard the click of the lock disengaging. The room quickly flooded with men and woman dressed in some strange bright yellow uniform that seemed like a hazmat suit. Clint would have laughed at the strange design if not for the real and dangerous looking guns that each person held and pointed straight at his chest. Once he was completely surrounded, the whole room froze as if waiting for Clint to suddenly attack. When the boy didn't move, the guards began looking uncomfortable at pointing their weapons at an unarmed kid who was for all intense and purposes, surrendering.
"Uh, Sir?" someone finally asked. The person must have been in the back of the group because Clint couldn't tell who actually spoke. One of the men in front moved. His outfit had an orange strip that ran across his uniform in different areas rather than black like everyone else. He was the only one that had a slightly different outfit. Clint assumed that it was like that to show he was the leader of some sort.
"Agent Clint Barton, you are to be moved to a new room. We expect you to move calmly and not fight us. Will you comply?" the man demanded, his gun shifting up and down as if the man was using it as threatening tool. Clint looked the man over before slowly nodding. Over twenty men and women with guns verses him? Why the hell wouldn't he calmly follow them? Never the less, all the guards seemed stunned at his revelation. But the man stepped aside and allowed Clint to move before him. Clint began walking and the man took steps behind him. Everyone else quickly followed. Halfway down the hall, Clint realized the group was discussing him, trying to keep it down but at the same time they were loud enough to be heard.
"Is something wrong with him?"
"He's diseased!"
"Five days in that room alone broke the mighty Hawkeye?"
"I heard Cooper state that he doesn't remember his training. If that's true, we should kill him now."
"He's really only four years old. He must be terrified."
"My four year old would freak out at seeing a gun. Probably piss her pants or pass out or something... Not just freeze..."
"Holy shit man, this has to be the easiest guard duty, ever. I thought, once I heard that it was Hawkeye that I was gonna die. Hell, I went out and got another life insurance policy... Wait, damn, now I'm gonna have to fucking pay..."
"Just wait. He'll attack soon. He's just getting us off guard."
But Clint didn't attack. Nor did he have any intention of attacking any of the guards. He was outnumbered and definitely, outmuscled and out experienced. The boy had no idea who these people normally dealt with but he knew better than to make it worse. Attacking anyone, especially these armed and apparently well trained (lol) guards, would certainly make it a lot worse for him. There was no way Clint was going to make things worse. The guns were bad, he knew that. The amount of men and women were bad, an obvious.
The rather large group moved down the hall to the end and turned right. Following that to its end, Clint was shifted left and then down the second right where there was another group of guards waiting, almost expecting a fight. Not seeing one, they looked around the other group, confused at the lack of non-action. Clint quickly realized that this group was to refresh the guards traveling with him. 'What type of person do they take me for?' Clint could help but wonder as he was led deeper on with the new group simply adding themselves into his original one. Distracted, Clint didn't notice until it was too late that the group had led him into a new room.
This room was mostly bare of items, similar to Clint's old room. But rather than the sparse furniture that had been in the other one, this room only had one simple table like bed that rather quickly reminded Clint of a hospital bed. It was also designed with straps that made the boy stop moving. The back wall had hanging cabinets with locks and glass doors that looked to be filled with vials, notepads, needles, and other tools that Clint couldn't even begin to name. Clint froze in place as he stared at the room. Something about this didn't seem like it would end up being good for him.
"Here it comes!" a voice warned behind the boy and somewhere in the middle of the group of guards. Clint took a hesitating step back in fear and felt the tip of a gun press into his back. The boy froze again, too afraid that shifting even his eyes would make the owner of the gun fire it. Apparently, everyone feared pretty much a similar thing as no one really moved until the man who had dressed differently from everyone stepped forward.
"Go lay down on the table," the leader's voice demanded. Tensely, as he still feared the gun jabbing into his back, Clint nodded and gradually stepped deeper into the room. He stopped as there was a collection of safety triggers switched off and clicks as bullets were loaded. The leader turned around to the guards behind him. Everyone was just as tense as the four year old and as such, they were prone to do something stupid. And the leader was not going to have that stupid thing be shooting the poor boy when he actually was following orders. "Stop it. He's actually listening, you fuckers."
"It's a trick, it has to be," someone countered. The leader searched the group behind him in an effort to find the one who had spoken but apparently they hid themselves after speaking.
"God damn it, you are all gonna cause the fucking issue," the leader snapped at them. Shaking his head, he placed a hand on Clint's shoulder. Both Clint and the leader had to try to ignore the fact that the light touch almost made the poor four year old jump through the roof. Slowly and carefully, the duo headed toward the table. In a bought of great anticipation, everyone watched as Clint was carefully placed onto the bed and then gently but tightly strapped down. Once set, the leader stepped back. "There. Now all of you, back to your posts!"
The group was rather leisurely in leaving. Almost as if they were still waiting for someone to mess it up or do something different. Hawkeye was never this complacent before. Could his four year old self really be so dissimilar? So many were just shocked at this new behavior, they wanted to see what was going to happen next when the boy realized they were about to do experiments on him. It was too strange to see such an agent that they used to fear and speak about in awe, left in such a state.
"Oh good, he's already strapped in," Lisa suddenly called, slipping through the remaining guards. Behind her entered a team of five men and women. They were dressed in lab coats of a bright yellow color. Clint could tell that they must be more scientists. The team each carried some sort of something with them, varying from trays with needles and more vials to scalpels and other tools. Clint shifted on the table. This really wasn't beginning to look good now.
"What is it that you have in mind for the boy?" the leader of the guards suddenly wondered. Lisa glanced at him as she wandered past. The leader was focused on Clint and she could tell that the boy's four year old frame was getting to the guard. Lisa could only assume that Clint must have been using some sort of childhood charm on the men and women. Thankfully the scientists that she screened to work with her were all men and women who didn't have children and actually didn't tend to care for kids either. Made it easier to deal with what they were about to do.
"Nothing you need concern yourself with. Just remember, if he was his proper age, Hawkeye more than likely would have killed you by now," Lisa reminded. The man huffed and turned to walk away. As he reached the door he paused.
"I actually have run into Hawkeye a few times in my many years working for AIM. He, actually, only kills the guards who are evil. He's a pretty good judge of character just by looking at us," the man snarled softly before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. The few remaining guards, that had been hanging around outside in the hall, all let out a loud moan of displeasure at the door being closed but left to their posts soon after.
"Ugh. I hope they won't all be disrupting us when we get started. He more than likely will be getting loud," one of the scientists growled, setting a small tray table up by Clint's left arm. Lisa turned to the man and smiled.
"I made sure this room was sound proof. We'll be able to hear even the softest of cough from outside in the hall but in here... A bomb would explode and you wouldn't even hear a whisper when your ear is pressed against the door," Lisa boasted. The scientist who had spoken just nodded and continued to set up the tray with tools that Clint couldn't see as the straps held him down too tightly and the tray was set at the wrong angle for him to see it.
"That is awesome. I could really use that for my cousin. Course, I think he'd rather it be the opposite way as he doesn't want to hear his neighbors," another scientist laughed. "God, if I have to hear another complaining story about how loud his neighbors get when they have sex, I'm just gonna murder him."
"Want my help, I'm sick of hearing about it too," someone else muttered before the group laughed. Lisa shook her head and looked at Clint. The boy was making disgusted faces. She smiled. Apparently, Clint's family wasn't ones who kept to the whole ideals of keeping adult things silent from kiddos. So age four Clint would certainly know about sex. That just made the woman smile and laugh even more.
"Let's get to this. I need lots of blood samples, some bone marrow samples. Might as well get some spinal fluids and whatever else we can get. Hell, maybe we can even induce an age change while we work. Hurry up people. Who knows how long we have with him being only four. Banner's papers stated that he could suddenly age to death!" Lisa suddenly shouted at the group, mostly to see the boy's reaction. Clint's eyes widened in horror.
"WHAT?"
BANG
BANG
BANG
"Sir?"
BANG
BANG
"Sir... I don't think..."
BANG
BANG
"That may be unwise."
BANG
BANG
BA-
"Uh? Wha?" Tony blearily called when his head didn't connect with his desk as it had been doing continuously for the past few hours. Slowly, his eyes and mind focused on what was happening. A hand was gently holding his forehead and placed so that it wouldn't connect with the hard surface waiting below. Gingerly, Tony turned to follow the hand up to a wrist, then to the arm and up to the waiting and worried face of Bruce.
"Are you going to keep smashing your head against your desk? JARVIS was getting worried about brain damage," Bruce mentioned, moving his hand away so that he could take a look at the rather large red mark that was already forming a decent bruise underneath. Bruce cringed at the sight. He could see now why the AI was concerned. Tony had been hitting his head for almost three hours now. Thankfully the genius hadn't been doing it to hurt himself so it wasn't hard hits but the repetition of even soft hits could do a lot of damage.
"You gonna stay here?" Tony countered, his voice sounding weak, tired and so unlike Tony that Bruce was even more worried than before. The doctor nodded. Sighing, Tony shook his head which took that moment to finally catch up with the multiple hours of abuse. The genius groaned and plopped his head down before Bruce could stop him.
BANG.
"Tony," Bruce moaned, moving a chair closer as he could see that this was a more serious situation than JARVIS had first warned. Slowly, the doctor looked up to the camera that Tony had long ago pointed out as a sensor for the AI. "Get the others down here."
"Why? Why not make it pity party? Let's all make fun of the genius for not being able to find our archer. I couldn't find you. Now when Clint is in danger, I can't find him," Tony bemoaned into the desk, his words slurring a little as his mouth was crushed by the hard surface. Bruce frowned but didn't say anything. It had been almost a week since Clint went missing. There were no clues, just like what happened when Bruce had been taken. No one in the 'evil' community was saying anything. S.H.I.E.L.D had nothing, Tony had nothing... Natasha had disappeared, searching out her contacts in an effort to get something. Seeing as she hadn't reappeared, everyone basically assumed that she had nothing as well.
"Bruce? Tony?" Pepper's voice called out from the entrance of the lab. Tony had set himself up at the furthest table from the entrance, almost as if he could hide in disgrace. Bruce sighed and leaned back to call out to her. He didn't get a chance. "They must be in the back."
"I still do not understand how friend Tony got the magic to turn friend Clint into a child," a familiar but once missing voice echoed throughout the lab. Bruce smiled. Even Tony perked up.
"J, why didn't you say that Thor arrived?" Tony chided of his AI.
"You were rather busy with damaging your skull. It was hard to get a word in edge wise, Sir," JARVIS quickly retorted over Steve's own echoing response to Thor.
"Tony didn't use 'magic'. He used science. Some sort of serum that was accidently given to Clint made him become a six year old... Then a five month old and last we knew, a four year old boy," Steve explained as he, Thor and Pepper rounded some equipment and spotted Bruce and Tony. The Science Bros were beginning to get up go and join their friends but now it was too late. Within one second, Pepper noticed the bruise on Tony's head.
"What did you do!?" she screeched at him before rushing over to get a better look at it. Tony winced when she gently placed a loving finger on it. Thor's hand gripped Mjolnir's handle tighter in anger.
"What fiend has attacked you?" the thunderer raged. Bruce shook his head.
"Tony attacked himself," Bruce replied which only seemed to serve to confuse Thor. So the doctor just shook his head and Steve just whispered that he should forget it.
"Any luck on finding Clint?" Steve wondered. Bruce almost smacked his head against a hard surface while Pepper spun and gave the super solider an angered glare that made him wince back in fear. Steve should have known better than to ask that. The solider looked down at the ground in misery. "Sorry I asked."
"No... You have every right. I know you are all just as worried as I am," Tony replied, surprising the others. But Pepper was quick to get over it as she had been around for when Bruce was missing. She had seen Tony learning about everyone's different reactions to how they'd respond to a missing friend. Steve would stand over someone's shoulder, Pepper would lend support by making sure that everyone rested... Well, Thor and Bruce weren't around but Tony had experienced Bruce's before. Bruce was similar to Tony; getting lost in checking over data and examining for clues.
"Clint isn't who he used to be. We know he doesn't have his memories from his training. For all we know, the people who have him right now are hurting him. Or worse," Pepper mentioned. "But we will find him. Someone will slip up sooner or later. Clint will give us a clue. Something will happen to let us know where he is. Don't worry."
"Excuse me, everyone," JARVIS called out to the group. They all stopped. "It seems, Agent Romanoff has returned with a rather distraught guest."
4439 words this chapter and back on track. LOL. Still, sorry for last week. Too much going on around my mind. Hopefully it won't happen again as next weekend we are moving the master bedroom/office to the upstairs. My husband was just reminding me that he'd have to take apart the computer to start moving the room. Hopefully I can post before he does anything crazy, lol.
Anyways, family is good. Husband still ill with his curious illness. Toddler Clint still coughing but all other symptoms gone. I'm doing good other than the fact that my body is running from extreme cold to extreme heat and my poor boys have to suffer every time I touch the temp gauge. lol. But moving on...
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Review Responses:
Niom Lamboise - Thanks.
sammygirl1963 - lol, I love that everyone hates Lisa. I totally wanted her to be the most hated person ever. As for torturing a 4 year old, just wait. There is more coming. The Avengers will come. Maybe not as fast as we all would like, but... Need to keep the story entertaining, lol. Thank you for the prayers.
amy. d .fuller .9 - I love that you hate Lisa Cooper. And to be honest, I love the mixed feelings for Jazuat, a man who is not trying to be evil and just survive a horrible illness. Sadly, Clint won't regain his memories. As I stated at the beginning of the story, Clint's mind at age six and now four is filled with so many memories. His mind can't take the old memories and his future memories. As a baby, his mind was almost nearly blank of memories and could handle his future memories being there. The way I based this was kind-of like the scene you see in Inside Out (if you have ever seen that movie). If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll PM you a description.
toshirolovehim - Tee hee. As I said before, sorry for my lateness. At least this time you didn't have to wait a full week. Just a work week, lol.
MO-5431 - Thank you. Glad you liked the new plot twist. Thanks for the thoughts on my family.
