Day 27

Ok, Who Had Natural Disasters On Their 2020 Bingo Card?

Earthquake | Extreme Weather | Power Outage

The rain came down in torrential sheets. Lightning pierced the sky about once per minute, while thunder rolled through with almost a palpable force. The wind whipped around at a staggering force, already picking up debris.

"I think it's about time to get the hell out of here," Clint announced over the comms.

The five Earthbound Avengers were scattered throughout the area. Bruce had remained behind in the Quinjet, Natasha and Steve had infiltrated the compound and taken out their target, Clint had been posted in a tree on a hill to provide sniper support and Tony was flying overhead for aerial support.

And then the storm had rolled in.

Clint had eyed the dark clouds warily during the mission. He didn't like the way that they look or how quickly they had been moving. He had Bruce check the weather radar from the jet, and he had reported that a storm was indeed heading their way, but there weren't any significant warnings associated with it. But Clint couldn't shake the ominous feeling in his gut. After all, he had grown up in Iowa, affectionately nicknamed Tornado Alley. He had learned early only to have a healthy vigilance when it came to thunderstorms.

"The storm's coming at me from the other side of the Quinjet," Tony said, tension lacing his tone. "I'm not going to be able to fly toward it, I'm gonna have to land and hoof it in."

"Yeah, you're going to want to get your ass out of the sky and ditch the metal suit before you get fried, Stark," Clint said as he was climbing down out of the tree he had been perched in, blinking rain water out of his eyes.

The blur of red streaked out of the sky and landed heavily not far from Clint.

"Natasha and I are heading back to the jet to regroup with Bruce," Steve said.

"You might want to have a more stable option ready, Cap," Clint said as he squinted at the sky, noting how the lightning was flashing much more frequently than it was just a minute ago. The storm was progressing really quickly. "Bruce, any weather alerts?"

"A tornado watch was just issued for the area just a few minutes ago," Bruce reported.

"I always forget, which is worse, the watch or the warning?" Tony asked, his tone unusually tense.

"Warning is worse," Clint said - vaguely aware of how he had to talk louder in order to be heard over the roaring wind - as he started to hurry in the direction that Tony had landed. "We're still in the 'could happen' territory and haven't crossed into the 'probably will happen' arena. You get rid of that armor, Stark?"

"Yeah, the armor's on an autopilot retreat," Tony said. There was a bright flash that emanated from Tony's location, causing Clint to skid to a halt for a moment. "And I'm very glad I'm not getting cooked in it right now."

Clint started moving again, hurrying until he managed to spot Tony, who was heading toward Clint.

"We need to get to lower ground," Clint said quickly, motioning Tony to follow him down the steeper side of the hill.

"The jet is that way," Tony said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"The jet isn't going to be any use if a tornado comes through and throws it like a ragdoll," Clint said, quickly crossing the distance between them and grabbing Tony by the arm. "Right now, we need low ground."

"But, Bruce said it was only a watch-"

"Clint, Tony, we're back at the jet with Bruce and the tornado watch just got bumped up to a tornado warning," Steve suddenly snapped over the line.

"Get out of the jet," Clint ordered, tugging Tony after him as they headed down the hill, Tony now hurrying along and falling into step beside him.

"We're out and looking for a safe place to hunker down," Natasha assured him. "You and Stark need to do the same."

"Working on it," Clint confirmed.

The ground under their feet was losing it's stability by the moment with the torrential downpour and they were half running, half sliding down it in their haste. Clint's gaze darted around as they ran, looking for something - anything - that they could use for shelter. The lightning was now flashing nonstop, the thunder a continuous roar that vibrated down to Clint's bones. There was also something else behind the drone, something higher pitch that sounded like…

A freight train.

"Go, go, go!" Clint shouted as he shoved Tony in front of him and toward a small rock outcropping he had just spotted. It was too small for both of them, but anything was better than nothing at this point. "Cover your head," Clint yelled as Tony wedged into the outcropping, Clint wedging in as close behind him as possible.

Just in time for the world to be torn apart.

Clint squeezed his eyes shut and threw his hands over his head. And then all that they could do was huddle there and pray that the incoming tornado decided to spare them. Clint could feel debris striking his exposed back, some small impacts and others large enough to send jolts of pain through him. The wind was now a defining roar, drowning out even his voice to his own ears as he tried to yell at Tony to keep still when he felt him shifting - later finding out he had just realized that Clint was still exposed and was trying to make more room for him.

Then, it was as if he had been grabbed around the middle and ripped him violently out of the outcropping, flying through the air for a brief few months before everything suddenly went black.

"Clint! Clint! Where are you!?"

"Clint! Can you hear us!"

"Clint!"

"Clint… Over here! I found him!"

Clint blinked blearily as a flurry of voices slowly made their way into his consciousness. Brown, green and red blurs drifted around him dizzyingly. His whole body ached with pain, and there was a strange sensation of something falling on him. Water?

"Clint? Can you hear me? Please?"

At the sound of Natasha's voice, Clint's head instinctively shifted in that direction. A gentle hand put pressure on his shoulder, another hand carefully weaving into his hair. Slowly, the world began to return to focus.

"Nat?" Clint rasped.

The relief that washed over Natasha's face was enough to knock her back on her heels. "He's alive!" she called over her shoulder. "Bring the Quinjet around!"

"Wha'...?" Clint murmured, still not understanding what was going on.

"You got your ass kicked by a tornado, Feathers."

Clint's eyes wandered up at the sound of a new voice. Tony. And then it all came rushing back to him so suddenly that it took his breath away. Clint eyed Tony critically. He had some visible cuts and bruises and he looked terribly disheveled, but he was still in one piece.

"You're going to be okay," Natasha assured him. "I don't see anything too serious here. You must not have gotten pulled into the tornado, just thrown by some of the outer winds."

"Is tha' all?" Clint said as he huffed something between a laugh and a cough.

"Steve and Bruce are on their way with the jet," Natasha said. "They'll be here in a minute and then we'll get you all nice and put back together. Okay?"

"Sounds good," Clint sighed.

It was yet another reminder that no matter what evil the Avengers were fighting… Mother Nature was going to do whatever the hell she wanted.