Possession | Magical Healing | Science Gone Wrong

Before anyone says anything...yes, the plot will be very familiar.

He came up out of the water and walked over to the fire, warming himself by wrapping up in a large reflective blanket. Once he was dried off, he put on his red parka, grabbed his gear, and started walking. He trudged through the snow and over the mountains until he came to a ravine. The man took a running leap, barely grabbing onto a ledge with his fingertips, then pulled himself up onto the mountain. He continued the trek until he reached a cabin in the woods, a safe house of sorts. He found a woodpile so loaded some into the wood-burning stove, found some MRE's and coffee, then sat down to eat and drink. Afterward, he went to bed and woke up early the next morning. He went to the smaller cabin next door and grabbed supplies for his mission. As he was gathering the necessary items, he heard a noise in the distance. He went back into the cabin, grabbed his high-powered rifle, attached the scope, and loaded the ammo. He aimed and with one shot knocked the drone out of the air, not bothering to watch it as it crashed into the ground and exploded. He was focused on his mission.

He hiked to the closest city and found a small airstrip. He helped himself to a small 2-seater plane and took off, making his way to Chicago. Once there, he located his safehouse. He shaved off the beard that had covered his face, making him appear years younger, closer to his actual age. He found a folder waiting for him, his next assignment. He read the file from front to back, memorizing every detail. Once he was certain he had every angle covered, he fixed a sandwich and grabbed a catnap. After a brief rest, he went to the parking garage, found the parked car, located his newest identity, then drove away. He went over the mission in his head. It should be easy, the target lived by herself in a farmhouse in upstate New York. There was no obvious security surrounding the property. Why he needed to take out this Mikayla Fitzgerald person he didn't know and didn't care. All he cared about was the mission he'd been given.

Ten hours later, he located the dirt road to the farmhouse. He parked the car, grabbed his rifle, and several Glocks, then stealthily made his way to the farmhouse for surveillance. He made himself comfortable in the loft of an old barn on the property and waited. He had an excellent vantage point of the house. The man would watch her as she sat out on the front porch swing, drinking her morning coffee. He would watch as visitors would come and go. He would try to take her out when no one else was there, but he couldn't concern himself with collateral damage. If others got in his way, then so be it. His main objective was to kill the woman. The woman who sat every morning on the porch swing as if waiting for someone. The woman with jet-black hair hanging down to the middle of her back, hair that glistening when struck by the sun. In another life, another place, he might have tried to get to know her better, to ask her out for coffee. That was not his mission, however. His mission was to get rid of Mikayla Fitzgerald, no matter how long that took. He could be a very patient man.

"Mikayla," Steve said. "We're still looking for him, but it's been 6 months with no contact. Not even Nick Fury knows where he is or what happened to him. At some point, you're going to have to come to the realization he's not coming back."

"Steve, shut up. Have you given up hope on finding Bucky? I didn't think so. I'm not giving up until after I take my last breath, and even then, I'll roam the cosmos looking for him. He made me a promise, Steve. He promised he'd always be here for me, and he would never break a promise." The more she talked, the more she started tearing up. "I can't give up hope, Steve, I can't. Because, if I give up hope, then that means he's not coming back and I won't accept that, can't accept it."

He couldn't argue with her because she had a point. Ever since SHIELD had fallen and Bucky had escaped, he hadn't stopped looking for his best friend. James Buchanan Barnes was the only person he could think of that would know what he goes through daily. The feeling out of place, being the man out of time. He had to believe Bucky was going through that as well. So, no, Steve couldn't fault Mikayla for feeling the way she did. He wished she'd move back to the tower, though. He thought she'd be a lot safer there with the team around her, but she refused. She told them it didn't feel right, being there without him. She told them she'd move back to her childhood house but agreed to keep the security system up so the team could keep an eye on things. He left her to her thoughts and went back into the house.

"She's not budging, Nat. She's still holding out hope he'll turn up somewhere. I think if we let her, she'd start traipsing all over the world looking for him." Steve looked over at Natasha. "She has a point, Nat. How long has Sam been chasing leads on Bucky and found nothing, but do I give up? No, because I know he's out there. So, we're in the same boat, holding out hope for someone that may never show up again."

Nat patted him on the arm. "We'll find them, Steve. We'll find both of them. We've not given either one of them permission to go." She stood up. "I feel the need to go shoot something." She stepped out onto the front porch. "I'm going to the barn to get some targets. Want to join men?"

"Sure, I haven't let any arrows fly today." Mikayla got up from the porch swing and went out to the barn with Nat. As soon as they walked in, a bale of hay came flying toward them. "Nat, look out!" The two women dived out of the way, both rolling and coming up holding their guns, pointing them towards the loft. Whoever it was attacking them had taken a pitchfork and began thrusting down from the loft, but they were able to avoid it. Mikayla was closer to the ladder, so Nat kept the person occupied by shooting at him while Mikayla climbed up the ladder. "Stop right there!" She took a shot and struck the attacker in the left shoulder. This seemed to only further his anger as he came running toward her, carrying an empty gas can, swinging it at Mikayla. She ducked and shot again but missed. He tossed the can toward her, knocking the gun out of her hand. In an instant, she propelled herself, wrapping her thighs around his neck and throwing him to the ground. She pinned him underneath her and caught a glimpse of his face. "Clint? Nat, it's Clint! Oof!" He tossed her off of him, pulled a gun from his waistband, and pointed it at her. "Clint, it's me! Mikayla, your girlfriend! Where the hell have you been?" He pulled the trigger. She rolled out of the way, but not before getting struck in the abdomen. "Nat, help!" She gasped and immediately put pressure on the wound.

Nat aimed her gun and shot, striking the man Mikayla called Clint in his left thigh. When he fell, he dropped his gun, so he dragged himself over to Mikayla and began choking her. Nat could hear her gasping, so she climbed the ladder and saw him trying to strangle Mikayla. She did a roundhouse kick and struck the side of his head. The kick caused him to lose his chokehold and fall over unconscious. Nat knelt next to Mikayla. "Where are you hit?"

"Abdomen. God, it hurts. Why would he try to kill me? Why?"

"Steve!" Nat yelled. "You're needed out here, now! Call 911!"

"I'm here, Nat. I heard the shots." He hurried up the ladder. "Is it really him?"

"Sure as hell looks like it. I need something to help stop her bleeding." Steve looked around, couldn't find anything so he ripped off his shirt. "Here, use this. I'll run and get some towels and let the team know." He dashed back to the house and came back with some towels. He handed some to Natasha, then turned his attention to the man who looked like Clint. He found the man's gun and pointed it toward the Clint lookalike in case he came to.

Soon, two ambulances showed up and took Mikayla and who they were calling Clint to the hospital. The quinjet arrived a short time later. "What the hell, Natasha?" Tony asked. "Barton shows back up and tries to kill Mikayla?"

"I don't know what's going on, Tony. He wasn't even fazed when she called him Clint like it didn't even register who she was. He was focused on killing her."

"We need to get to the hospital," Bruce said quietly. "She'll want us there when she gets out of surgery."

Steve, who had grabbed another shirt and put it on, added, "We also need to question Clint to see if he can tell us what's going on."

They climbed into the cars and headed to the hospital. When they arrived, Steve went up to the desk, then returned. "They're both in surgery. Mikayla's was a through and through, didn't hit any major organs. Clint had to have 2 bullets removed, should be out of surgery before her. They'll let us know." The group went to sit down, worried about their teammates, and wondering if one of them was actually their teammate. "You okay?" Steve asked Natasha.

"I analyzed his moves, Steve. He moved with Clint's precision, but it wasn't Clint. I can't explain it. It was like, like he was dead inside. Steve," she looked at him, "he reminds me of me when I was in the Red Room. I was soulless, that's the only way I can describe it."

A quiet voice interrupted them. "You're saying Clint's not Clint?" Wanda Maximoff happened to be at the tower when Steve called, so she came along with the group.

"That's what it sounds like, Wanda," Steve said. "I'm sure he'll have an explanation that will make sense."

"Excuse me," the nurse appeared. "Mr. Barton is out of surgery and in a room. He's awake if you'd like to see him. Miss Fitzgerald is still in surgery. As soon as I have an update, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Steve replied. "Nat, why don't you go? Take Wanda with you. Hopefully, he'll recognize you and this will all be settled."

Nat stood up and motioned to Wanda. The two women went to the room the nurse pointed out. They walked in and saw who they thought was Clint lying in the bed, clenching his jaw and right fist. "Clint, it's Nat and Wanda."

He threw his head over to look at them. "Who the hell are you two? Neither one of you was my mission. Please tell me I completed the job.

"If your name's not Clint Barton, then what is it?"

"Aaron Cross, my name is Aaron Cross."

"What was your mission, Aaron?" Nat asked.

"To take out that dark-haired woman, Mikayla Fitzgerald."

"Why?"

"I'm not given reasons. I'm just told what my mission is, then I move on to the next one."

The two women looked at each other. Nat debated whether to tell him about Mikayla but decided to since 4 superheroes were out in the waiting room who would die to protect her. "You failed. She's still alive and will be fine. You won't get near her again."

"But…I…don't…fail," he growled, then suddenly slammed his head back into the pillow. "I can't fail, have to complete the mission." He started thrashing. "My head, damn it, do something about my head. It's about to explode. They know I failed. They're going to kill me."

"Who's going to kill you?"

"They are. The people that give me the assignments." He screamed in pain. "Make it stop! I'm sorry I failed."

As he was thrashing, Nat noticed a series of pinpricks along his neck. "Wanda?" She whispered. "I think it's Clint and he's been drugged. That's why he's acting like he's possessed."

"I think I can help." Natasha backed away. Wanda began moving her hands around Clint's head. An orange glow emanated from her hands and moved in waves toward Clint. After a few minutes, Wanda withdrew her hands and the glow faded. "We'll see if it worked," she whispered to Natasha. "Clint?"

He shook his head and wiped his eyes. "Wanda? Nat? Where am I? What happened?"

"Who are we talking to?"

"Uh, me, Clint Barton. Hawkeye? Guys, what the hell is going on?" He looked around. "Why am I in a hospital?"

"What's the last thing you remember, Clint?"

He thought for a minute. "Fury sent me on a mission to track a rogue government agency. I was in Alaska, sitting in a bar. That's the last I know."

"Clint, that was 6 months ago."

"6 months ago? Nat, why isn't Mikayla here? Why, Nat?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, but she's in surgery. She was shot in the abdomen."

"Who did it?"

Nat truly didn't want to tell him, but she didn't have a choice. "You did."

"Tasha, why would I shoot my girlfriend?"

When she heard him call her Tasha, Nat knew her friend was back. "I don't know. You kept saying she was your mission, that you were sent to kill her."

"Why was I sent to kill her? What the hell happened to me?"

"We'll find out, get the team working on it. I think I know what happened to you, though." Nat ran her finger along the line of injection sites on his neck. "I think you were drugged over a period of time. There's a series of pinpricks on your neck. We can have the doctors run some blood tests, see what they find." Natasha stepped back. "I'm going to go update the team and see if they've found out any news on Mikayla." She left the room.

Wanda was staring at Clint. "Are you saying what I did worked?"

"It feels like it. I don't have any memory of what I've done since I left for the mission. Guess you've learned another use for your powers."

She nodded. "Reversing memories. I haven't had a chance to use them until now."

"Well," Clint smiled, "I guess if anyone had to be your guinea pig, I'm glad it was me. I owe you a debt, so –"

"We're even, Clint. I'm glad I could help my favorite couple. I, I hope Mikayla's okay."

He bit his lip. "She has to be. I've got to apologize to her, find a way to make it up to her."

"I believe you will, Clint. I think true love will always win out over evil."

"I hope you're right, Wanda. I hope you're right."

Natasha came back into the room. "She's out of surgery and is in a room sleeping. She's going to make a full recovery."

Clint let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I've got to find a way to make this up to her, Tasha. How is she ever going to forgive me?"

"I'd say tell her what happened and see where it goes. I got permission to wheel you to her room if you want to sit by her bedside. She's still sleeping."

"Thanks. Can you take me to the team? I think I owe them an apology." Natasha nodded. She brought the wheelchair over and the two women helped him out of the bed and into the wheelchair, then wheeled him to the waiting room.

"Young archer!" Thor announced. "It is good to see you back with us, my friend."

"Thanks, Thor. Uh, guys, I'm sorry for, well, for everything. I don't know where to start."

There was a pause before Steve came over to him and put a hand on his non-injured shoulder. "Clint, nothing to apologize for. From what Nat said, it sounds like you were drugged and didn't know what you were doing. We can't hold you responsible for something that happened when you weren't you."

"Thanks, Steve, appreciate it, man." He looked up at Nat. "Can you take me to Mikayla now, please?"

"Sure thing." As she wheeled him down the hall, she told him Tony was already working on things. He was tracking down who would have access to mind-altering drugs. "They drew blood when you arrived, so the hospital is running tests to see what they can find. Here we are," Nat announced as she wheeled him into the room. Mikayla was asleep on the bed, obviously looking paler than what he remembered. "I'll leave you two alone. Be back with any updates." She patted him on the shoulder then left.

He brought himself as close to the bed as he could get and took her hand. "Mikayla, I am so sorry. I can't believe I did this to you. I hope you know I would never intentionally hurt you, let alone try to kill you." He started sobbing and fell asleep holding her hand.

Mikayla woke up several hours later and felt someone grasping her hand. She looked up and saw someone's head lying on her bed, holding her hand. "Clint? She whispered. "Is it you? Please let it be you."

He stirred, lifted his head, and saw she was awake. "Hey, babe." She looked and saw his twinkling blue eyes and knew it was him, it was her Clint. "Mikayla, I'm sorry." He started sobbing.

"Shhh, it wasn't you. I don't know what happened, but I know it wasn't you. Clint, look at me. I mean, truly look at me." He rolled closer to her face. "I forgive you. Do you hear me? I forgive you, Clinton Hawkeye Barton. You weren't you." She sat up just a bit. "Come here." She gingerly moved over. He got out of the wheelchair and laid down next to her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He could hear the group coming down the hall, getting a description from Tony as to what he found.

"It was freaking General Ross the whole time. He couldn't get his hands on any more super serum, so he had scientists creating a new one. He would've been creating a race of zombie soldiers who would do his bidding without question. Barton's blood tests came back and showed some weird drug combinations. Robin Hood should make a full recovery. Now, let's see who wins the bet." Steve knew he had this one. There is no way they would be doing anything except maybe holding hands. Tony opened the door and peeked in. "Damn it, Romanoff! How do you do it?" Nat and Steve looked in and saw Clint lying down next to Mikayla. They were wrapped up in each other arms. Mikayla was careful to avoid Clint's injured shoulder, and they were softly kissing.

Nat turned around and walked down the hall. "Guess lunch is on me since I've got the money."