"So, Puente Antiguo, New Mexico… exciting place. Hopefully you won't have to take out anymore armed citizens with flour while we are here."
"I thought you were sleeping." Phil replied as he turned to face Clint, squinting as the sun hit his eyes.
"I woke up when the car stopped and went back to sleep once I knew you had everything under control." Clint smiled as he took his place next to Phil and looked down. "So that's what we are here for, interesting. What is Jasper and the team's arrival time?"
"They should be along any time now." Phil replied as he turned too glance at the road behind them before turning back around. "Can you make out what it is?"
"It's no satellite debris I'll tell you that much." Clint replied as he studied the object. "Honestly Phil it looks like a giant hammer. It would be nice to get a closer look."
"Once the cavalry arrives we will clear all these people out of here and we will do just that." Phil replied as he slipped his sunglasses back on. "Tasha still sleeping?"
"She was just in the process of waking up when I stepped out of the car." Clint replied as he walked back towards the car. "And there are those pretty blue eyes, good morning sweetheart."
"Da!" Tasha tossed up her arms and tried to get up before tossing a look at the restraints that held her back.
"Jesus, our daughter has already perfected the Phil Coulson glare." Clint chuckled as he quickly released Tasha from her car seat. "Just a sec, you need your shoes on before you can walk around. Okay your good, go see your Daddy."
Phil smiled and bent down to lift his daughter into his arms. "Morning sleepy head."
"Da-da." Tasha beamed at Phil before glancing around him to take in all the activity down below.
"Incoming." Clint announced as he tilted his head to the side.
Phil glanced down the road they had just travelled on and even though he didn't have the amazing hearing Clint had he could see the dust clouds that indicated several vehicles were coming their way. "Director Fury has ordered that I go into town to acquire all the data collected by a local scientist in relation to this matter and he's made it clear that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. I'm leaving Jasper in charge of the site set up while I'm gone but I would appreciate it if you'd also keep an eye on things for me. I also asked that someone trust worthy be brought along to watch Tasha for us while we can't."
"You mean trust some weirdo stranger to watch our daughter? I thought we agreed that we'd interview people and then do a thorough background check on that person and all known friends and relatives before we hired anyone." Clint frowned.
"I'm pretty sure Jasper wouldn't bring some weirdo stranger to watch his only niece." Phil replied as an SUV pulled up next to their car.
"He better not of." Clint muttered as Jasper and another person got out of the SUV.
"Hey you two." Jasper waved and then beamed down at Tasha as she wiggled out of Phil's arms and made her way over to him. Jasper scooped her into his arms once Tasha reached him. "And how's my favorite girl doing?"
Tasha began telling a story which tapered off into a squeal when she saw who was with Jasper.
Eric laughed as he rounded the SUV and plucked Tasha out of Jasper's arms. "Well, I think that settles the argument about who her favorite uncle is."
"Yeah, the one who bribes her with sweets but just so you're aware that if she ends up having cavities you'll be paying the dentist bill." Clint grinned as he and Phil came over. "I'm glad you're here, it will be nice for Tasha to have another familiar face and not some… well someone she doesn't know."
"I think the word you used was weirdo stranger." Phil quipped.
"Shut up Phil."
"Well, you got it half right." Jasper joked.
"I'd smack you but I don't want to be teaching Tasha about violence so early in her life." Eric commented as he turned to face Clint. "You going for a new look?"
"No, I forgot to pack my razor and Phil is being weird and won't let me use his." Clint replied as he rubbed the stubble on his face. "Now let's go check out the area while our men clear out the locals."
Several hours later
"So how'd it go?"
"As well as could be expected when you're taking a scientists life works from them." Phil replied as walked up the stairs. "What can you tell me?"
"This thing is throwing off some sort of energy reading and the team can't get a lock on it yet." Jasper replied as he gestured to the computers. "But I've been assured that they will have answers soon. But one thing they are all agreeing on is that they don't believe the object is from anywhere around here."
"Please don't tell me that didn't started the other dimensions argument. Right, of course it did." Phil said as Jasper just tossed him a look. "Well, I'll go and try to give the Director an update, not that there is much to report."
"Just tell him that we have confirmed that an alien device has crashed landed in the middle of nowhere New Mexico and so far we know nothing about it other than the fact that nobody can lift it and it's giving out an energy reading that is throwing off our equipment and scientists." Jasper shrugged. "We've only been at the site for six hours, I sure the director isn't expecting any more than that."
"Maybe you should handle the updates to the Director." Phil replied as he glanced up at the clock to work out the time difference. "I'll be in the back office, grab me if anything changes."
Jasper nodded in reply as Phil left the room before frowning down at his phone as he tried to get it working again.
"Sir, we have a commercial aircraft coming right over us, Southwest Airlines Flight 5434."
"Re-route it like all the others." Jasper ordered as he moved to stand behind the other agent.
Carrying out the orders the Agent frowned as the security system pulled up one of the camera views. "Uh, Sir we go something outside the fence… west side."
Jasper glanced at the screen and took in the opening in the fence before lifting up the radio. "Delancy, Jackson; west side perimeter, go check it out." Jasper frowned as several minutes passed and no report was coming in. "Delancy, Jackson; report." Jasper waited a few more seconds before turning back towards the other agent. "Send a message to Agent Coulson, let him know we have a possible intruder."
"We need eyes up high, with a gun."
"That's my cue, hopefully I won't be too long." Clint said as he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch before moving over and leaned down to kiss Tasha. "Night baby girl, you be good for Uncle Eric." Straitening, Clint put in his ear piece and turned to face Eric. "She shouldn't give you any troubles when you put her down for bed but if she does put up too much of fuss she can stay up until I get back."
"Don't worry about a thing, we'll be good." Eric replied as he settled down next to Tasha.
"Thanks." Clint smiled as he zipped up his jacket and made his way to the weapons truck. He moved to grab the snipers rifle when the bow caught his eye and he didn't hesitate to reach up and grab it instead before making his way to the crane. As it rose he got the bow ready and quickly locked onto the intruder.
"Barton, talk to me."
Clint smiled as Phil's voice filtered through the radio. "Do you want me to slow him down Sir or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?"
"I'll let you know."
Clint relaxed his shoulders as the rain came down harder, prepared to stand there for hours if he needed to. He watched as big, blond and handsome tossed around SHIELD agents like they were nothing. "You better call it Coulson, because I'm starting to root for this guy." Clint smirked as an Agent he wasn't particularly fond of was body slammed by the intruder but frowned as he realized there was nothing standing between the intruder and the hammer. "Last chance sir."
"Wait, I want to see this."
Clint eased back on the draw string and watched as the intruder stepped up to the hammer and grasped it by the handle and attempted to lift it. The noise the other man made when he failed to do so would haunt Clint for a while.
"All right, shows over, ground units move in."
Clint brought down the bow and was jumping off the crane before it reached the ground. He placed the bow back in the trailer and was soaking wet by the time he walked back into the trailer that was set up as temporary lodgings for his family.
"You're getting water everywhere."
"Gee, sorry mom." Clint's smirk grew as the towel smacked him the face. "Thanks, how was she?"
"Good, she's out like a light now." Eric replied as he settle back in one of the chairs.
"All this traveling has tucked her right out but I'm glad she was able to come with us as I know that won't always be the case." Clint set the damp towel and took the hot coffee pushed his way with a grateful smile.
"You know that I will take care of her whenever that's the case." Eric told him as he picked up his own coffee.
"Thanks Eric." Clint replied, leaning back and taking a long sip from the mug.
"So what or who was causing the commotion out there?"
"Some buff gorgeous blond man."
"Oh?" Eric's eyebrows raised in interest.
"Yeah, he was tossing SHIELD agents left, right and center. He was on a mission and nothing we put in his path was going to stop him."
"Did you have to take him out?"
"No, Phil started to give the order but changed his mind. Tall and handsome reached the giant hammer and Phil wanted to see what would happen." Clint paused to finish off his coffee.
"And?"
"Nothing happened, the man tried lifting it and when he couldn't, fell to his knees and just stared up at the sky. It was a bit of a sad sight and I felt sorry for the guy." Clint told him as he remembered the look of despair on the intruders face. "After that he allowed SHIELD agents to take him into custody and Phil is most likely talking to him now, trying to work out who he is and where he came from."
"Well, if he's linked to the hammer then I highly doubt he's from around here."
"Doubtful." Clint echoed as moved to grab more coffee, he opened his mouth to ask Eric if he wanted some when Tasha's screaming cries filled the trailer. Startled, Clint nearly dropped his mug. "Sounds like someone got woken up by a nightmare, I'll be right back." Clint tried to keep the panic down as he rushed to the back of the trailer where Tasha's room had been set up. Despite telling Eric that it sounded like a nightmare had woken his daughter up he was didn't think that was the case as she sounded down right terrified, a sound he had never heard from her before. Rushing into the room Clint was halfway to the crib when a flash of green in the corner caught his eyes. Without hesitation he pulled out his gun from his side holster and pointed it towards what he now saw was a man. "Who the fuck are you?"
Loki narrowed his eyes at the human male before him, like the child, this man could see him while his magic cloaked him. With a frown and a wave of his hand, for appearance sake, Loki froze everything around himself and the human male and sent the primitive weapon the man held out of existence. "Both you and the child can see me, yet you both appear to be simple humans, interesting."
The fact that his gun had disappeared from his hands didn't bother Clint what bothered him was that his daughter stood in her crib, frozen in mid-cry. "What the hell did you do to my daughter?" Clint spat out as he kept his body between his daughter and the intruder.
"Ah, so you two share blood. That explains how you both can see me but not how its possible that you do." Loki mused as he took a few steps forward.
"I see many things that others cannot." Clint replied as he took an instinctive step back.
A smile slowly crossed Loki's face as he nodded. "Yes, you've seen much in your life Clinton Francis Barton."
Fear chilled Clint's spine. "How do you…"
Loki just tapped the side of his head as he continued moving forward. "Your thoughts are rather loud Clinton. I may have use for you, but now is not the time and for now you need to forget you ever saw me." With that, Loki closed the distance and placed his hand on the side of the archer's face and proceed to remove all traces of his existent from the man's mind before heading back to Asgard and from his throne he watched as Thor came to terms with his banishment.
A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! First I wrote the ending of this chapter then the start and struggled to find the time to write the middle. So I completely blame work on the delay! Of course starting a new job next week so the craziness won't be going away anytime soon but I will start working on the next chapter this weekend and hopefully it doesn't take me a month to update again but I won't promise anything! So as always, thanks to everyone following this story and huge thanks to those who reviewed. Your words really help encourage me to continue!
