In the hospital in Madripoor, Natasha, Kate and Kamala were frantically brainstorming, trying to think where Clint might have gone. It was clear that Bullseye had gone out of his way to get Clint's attention. They knew they had crossed paths in the past, but in general nothing that Clint or the others would consider anything other than normal business. Of course, that wasn't to say that Bullseye took it the same way.
"Shit, he's not picking up his cell." Kate swore loudly, becoming frustrated with the situation.
"I can't track it either." Natasha sighed. "Sometimes years of SHIELD covert ops training is a bad thing."
"Clint's going to be alright though, isn't he?" Kamala asked nervously. "I mean, it's Clint! You know, Hawkeye! Ronin…"
"You have seen what he did to Sharon, right?" Kate asked her, pointing into the room. "He did that to make a point. He could easily have killed her, the only reason he didn't is because he didn't want to! Normally I wouldn't have any worries about Clint one on one with anyone, but Bullseye…he's sick to a level you don't even want to know about."
Just then, they saw a familiar face, one that was quite welcome. Bruce walked towards them, accompanied by Steve and Thor. Natasha ran up to him, hugging him tightly.
"It's good to see you guys." She rushed out. "We don't know where Clint's gone or what's going on or…what are you wearing?"
Bruce was in a white coat, over a set of blue hospital scrubs. Steve and Thor were wearing red scrubs. They all looked to them curiously.
"What's going on here?" Kate asked.
"Guys, you know we can fix Sharon up better on the Helicarrier." Bruce whispered. "I'm sure this hospital's perfectly good, but we've all been put back together by JARVIS enough times to know that he can do stuff that most hospitals really can't."
"We can shorten her recovery time from months to weeks." Steve agreed.
"So…what's with the get up?" Kamala asked, looking to Bruce's name tag. "Dr David Green."
"Well, we are all technically fugitives, and unless Sharon can indicate consent, what we're going to be doing is basically kidnapping." Bruce pointed out. "Tony's already hacked the system, so we should be able to get out of here with her…unless anyone starts asking too many questions."
"But what about Clint?" Natasha asked him. Steve just looked to her.
"We've got this." He told her. "Tony's already doing scans of the city for Clint's location, he should be able to narrow it down quick."
"But his cell and his communicator are offline." Natasha pointed out. Thor just smiled.
"Ah, but his hearing aids…those are not." He told her. "And lest you forget who gave them to him…"
"Clint's not going to be happy Tony put a bug on him, but I guess that's something for them to thrash out." Natasha stated. "Alright, you guys see to Sharon, we'll get Clint."
"I just hope we're not too late." Kate replied.
"Did you have to say that?" Kamala asked. "It doesn't help with the nerves!"
Over at the warehouse, Clint and Bullseye circled each other, their weapons flashing through the air, sparking off each other as they clashed. They locked weapons as they got close, Bullseye sneering into Clint's face.
"That arm of yours is pretty nicely sliced up. I think those shuriken went through to the bone." He taunted him.
"You're leaking pretty badly yourself there." Clint answered, indicating the blood seeping from the deep wound running down Bullseye's forearm. "You're lucky I wasn't aiming for the artery."
"Oh, I appreciate you could have left me in real trouble there!" Bullseye carried on as he drove downward, seeing Clint starting to back off. "But I'm not the one that's weakening."
"Not weakening." Clint grunted, trying to sound confident as he prepared to make his move. "Just…couldn't stand your breath!"
With that, he dove out, guiding Bullseye's sai away from him, rolling to his feet. He tried to draw his bow string, but the pain in his arm was too great. The average longbow had a pull strength in excess of 300 pounds. Clint had trained so extensively his was closer to 500. However, his arm faltered when he tried to pull the string. Bullseye saw him drop the arrow as he released the string.
"See, that's the problem you have Clint. You need two arms." Bullseye mocked him. "Whereas me? I only need one!"
He threw his sai, which Clint barely managed to dodge. It glanced off his chest armour, but in doing so sliced through the strap holding his quiver, dropping it to the floor, scattering his arrows. Clint saw Bullseye going for more shuriken and ran, taking cover behind some crates.
"That's it Barton! You're finally starting to get the message!" Bullseye cackled. "Only one of us is getting out of here alive, and it's not going to be you!"
Sharon woke up, noting she was no longer in the same room she had been before. She did feel like it was vaguely familiar, but a combination of her injuries and the copious amounts of pain medication she had been on made it hard to focus.
She saw a doctor checking on a display at the end of her bed. Instead of a flipchart or even a tablet, he appeared to be using some kind of holographic technology. She blinked a few times to focus.
"Bruce?" She asked. Her throat burned. She was a little surprised she could say anything at all. As she tried to move, Bruce came to her side.
"Try not to move." Bruce told her. "The nanites are helping with your injuries, but it'll be quite a while before you're running any marathons. I managed to heal a lot of the fracturing in your jaw, but I'd suggest sticking with a liquid diet for at least a week or so. Best not to put too much stress on the bones until they're fully knitted."
"Just as well I like soup." She muttered. "You…you brought me to the Helicarrier?"
"We couldn't just leave you laid up like that." Bruce told her. "You might not be an Avenger, or even SHIELD anymore, but you know better than anyone, no one is ever really an ex-member of all this."
"I need to…" She said as she tried again to get out of bed, but suddenly she felt a rush that made her incredibly light-headed and she flopped backwards. Bruce just pulled up the hologram and adjusted a few things.
"You'll not be going anywhere for a while yet." Bruce told her. "If you're worried about that kid, Clint and the others are going after him."
"Bruce, you need to get him back, promise me you'll get him back!" Sharon rushed out in a panic. "Please, I don't care what happens to me, you need to…"
"Sharon, I'm sure the others have it well in hand." Bruce interrupted her, trying to soothe her. "He's really lucky to have a neighbour like you looking out for him."
She noted the words Bruce had used. He had referred to her as Mikey's neighbour, not his mother. It seemed that for the time being at least, Kate hadn't told the others what she had figured out. How long that remained the case though, she couldn't tell.
"Bruce, I need to talk to…"
"The only thing you need to do is lie back and rest." Bruce told her. "By the time the nanites have done their work, you'll be strong enough to transfer to a SHIELD facility. They'll be only too happy to pick up the tab from there on out."
"Bruce, I can't just lie here…"
"Sharon, trust the others. You know they'll do whatever it takes." Bruce assured her. "Bullseye's going to regret seeking a grudge match by the time this is over. Mikey will be safely home with his mom soon. You just wait."
As he was about to leave, Sharon thought about this. She took a deep breath and made a decision.
"Bruce!" She blurted out. "If I tell you something, will you keep it to yourself?"
"Well, I guess in the broadest possible sense this would constitute doctor/patient privilege." He stated. "And one of my doctorates is a medical one."
"Bruce, Mikey isn't my neighbour's kid. He's mine." She told him. Bruce just looked to her confused. "I only told Clint that because…because I didn't want him to know."
"You didn't want him to know…?" He started to say, before the penny dropped. "Oh…OH! Wow, um…"
"Bruce, please, he's everything to me. I need him here with me!" Sharon explained through her tears. "But please, don't tell Clint."
Bruce looked troubled by this. It was no small thing to ask him to keep something so big from one of his best friends. However, he had taken an oath many years ago, and part of that oath was never to disclose any information about a patient unless that patient was a danger to themselves or others. He breathed a deep sigh and looked to her.
"I'll…see what I can do." He told her, before walking out the door.
Back in the warehouse, Bullseye was stalking Clint through the factory, looking for any signs of him.
"You seem to be really good at hiding! Guess you've had plenty of practice. You've been hiding behind the REAL Avengers for years!" He called out. He heard some sounds nearby and looked around, smiling. "I guess it's no surprise you'd be ducking me too. After all, when it comes down to it, between you and me, you're just…"
He threw the shuriken at a shape he thought was a head and shoulders, but it turned out to just be a shadow. Something slammed into him from behind, bowling him over. He got back up, seeing Clint a little way from him. He blocked his next attack, ripping the katana from his hands and sending it spinning far away. They grabbed onto each other in a grapple, starting to rain in knees and elbows wherever they could land them.
"That's the spirit Barton, you're actually making me work for this one!" Bullseye cackled. "I sometimes take a little trophy from the marks that really impress me! I wonder what I can take from you?"
Clint tried to throw him, but Bullseye flipped over, reversing the throw, taking Clint to the floor. He rolled over onto his back, wrapping his arm around Clint's throat and squeezing hard.
"You're good boy! I can't deny that!" Bullseye panted, trying to regain his breath. "But there was only ever going to be one result!"
Clint could feel the air leaving him. Bullseye didn't have full purchase of the choke, if he did, he'd be close to passing out already. Losing oxygen, it took only seconds for the average person to pass out. Clint still knew that he didn't have long. He struggled to his feet and ran backwards, ramming Bullseye into a wall. He didn't release him though. He rammed him into another wall, but still nothing. Bullseye cinched the hold in tighter, clearly sensing blood in the water.
Clint sank to his knees, his strength starting to leave him. He looked a little way in front of him, seeing some of his arrows strewn on the floor. He started to crawl, dragging Bullseye with him.
"Oh, you're just not giving up, are you Barton?" He asked. Clint rolled over, getting closer, but also trying to disorientate Bullseye so he wouldn't see his plan. His vision was becoming blurred, and tinged in red. Bullseye tried to bear him to the floor, but Clint kept going. If he stopped, he was done for.
"See, you've really made this a memorable night, but the thing is, there's still a loose end." Bullseye told him. "The only question is, what do I do with the little bastard?"
Clint knew he was talking about the kid. There was no reason for Bullseye to return him to his mother if he beat him. He always knew Mikey's only chance was if he won the fight. He strove onward, even as Bullseye pulled hard on his throat.
"What do you think? Bullseye asked him. "Think I should send his corpse back to his mommy? Or let the cops do that?"
Clint reached out, grabbing one of his arrows. He recognised it as one of his magnesium flash flares. He snapped off the head, before screwing his eyes shut tightly, before sinking to the floor, taking Bullseye with him, and striking it into the floor. The arrowhead exploded in a brilliant white light, filling the entire room. Bullseye fell off Clint's back, his hands clutched over his eyes screaming.
"My eyes! My eyes!" He screamed in agony. Clint's magnesium flash flare arrows were designed to use ignited magnesium to create a blinding light that would temporarily disorientate enemies. Magnesium burned with a bright, white light that was dangerous to look at directly, and it was advised to only view it through special lenses. The arrows were so bright and powerful he generally detonated them several feet from his enemies for fear of causing permanent harm. In Bullseye's case though, he had little choice but to detonate it right by his face.
Clint gasped for breath as he saw Bullseye screaming, unable to pull his hands away from his face. He looked across and saw his katana a little way off. He crawled over to it, picking it up, and starting to make his way back towards the fallen assassin.
Every inch of his body ached, his vision was blurry, but all he could focus on was Bullseye, remembering what he had done to Sharon. He struggled to his feet, shuffling over towards him. He stood over him, staring down at him. He raised his katana, point aimed straight for him.
"CLINT!" Kate called out as they arrived. He managed to shake himself out of his thoughts. As Kate came to his side, grabbing onto him to support him, he let himself lean on her. "Clint, it's over. You got him."
"Yeah, I got him." Clint told her, looking to him. Bullseye finally got to his knees, pulling his hands away from his face, which was horribly burned.
"My…my eyes!" He screamed. "I can't see! I can't…"
Natasha kicked him in the face, knocking him out cold. As he fell to the ground, she kept him covered with a pistol.
"He's done." Natasha assured him. "The RAFT can pick up the pieces. Kamala, you got the kid?"
"He's over here!" Kamala said, finding the cage. "Hey there, Mikey. How you doing?"
Mikey whimpered and scooted to the back of the cage away from her. Kamala smashed open the door, opening it up.
"It's OK, we're good guys. See? We wear these funny outfits so people know we're good guys." Kamala told her. "Look, I promise we'll get you home."
Mikey looked a little wary.
"Kamala, we should get the kid checked out, make sure he's alright before we take him home." Kate suggested. "Kid, would you like to see some place really cool?"
Kamala reached a hand into the cage, easing Mikey out, and taking him in her arms. Natasha got onto the communicators.
"This is Natasha, we have the kid safe and sound." She declared. "Also, Bullseye needs an urgent pickup and medical treatment. But, no hurry on the second part. Let the RAFT worry about the son of a bitch."
Some time later, up on the Helicarrier, Clint was in the medical bay, getting looked over by Bruce and Tony.
"Well, the good news is the arm should be fine in a little while." Tony told him. "The bad news is…these shuriken are WAY too cool as souvenirs to let you keep them, so I'm calling dibs."
"Hey, they got pulled out of my arm so they're mine!" Clint argued.
"And who took them out?" Tony asked him.
"They were lodged in the bone!" Clint pointed out. "How deep to they have to get for me to claim them?"
"Oh, for God's sake." Bruce muttered, grabbing the shuriken and slamming one down in front of Tony and the other down in front of Clint. "There, you both happy now?"
"Absolutely!" Tony said, inspecting his newly acquired souvenir.
"Thanks, dad." Clint chirped cheerfully. Bruce paused for a moment. He could only think of what Sharon had told him. "So, I heard Sharon's on the Helicarrier?"
"She is." Bruce told him. "But…uh…I think she's resting. Maybe you should wait a little while before you see her."
"How soon can I see her?" Clint asked. Bruce could see the look on his face. He could only imagine it'd be the same one he'd have if someone was stopping him see Natasha. He didn't really know too much of what happened between Clint and Sharon, but he could tell it had affected him a lot more deeply than most of his relationships.
"How about, you just rest up here for a bit and I'll see if she's ready to see visitors?" He suggested. Clint just nodded.
"I guess that makes sense." He told him. "I trust you, doc."
Bruce just left the room without another word. He really wished Clint hadn't said that.
In her room, Sharon was lying in her bed, gently stroking Mikey's hair. She was delighted to have him returned to her safe and sound.
"Now, you have to go and get some sleep now." Sharon told him. "Mommy's going to be alright here."
"But…"
"No buts, young man." She told him. She forced herself up on the bed enough to give him a kiss, before letting Kamala take him away. She then looked to Kate.
"Thank you." She whispered. "All of you, really. I don't know what I'd have done if anything happened to him. He's my whole world."
She looked to Kate, who was standing with her arms folded, glaring at her. She just started to shift a little uneasily.
"Is Clint…?"
"Clint's alright. He's pretty banged up and sliced up." Kate told her. "But I don't think that's what you're asking, is it?"
"Kate…"
"No." Kate sighed. "We haven't told him."
"Thank you…"
"No, you do NOT thank us for that!" Kate interrupted her sharply. "The only reason I've not told him is because you should!"
"Kate…"
"He has a right to know!" Kate yelled.
"Maybe." Sharon answered. "But nothing is more important to me than Mikey. You know what Clint's like!"
"I know that he cares more deeply about the people in his life than anyone I've ever met." Kate replied passionately. "He is the only family I have, and right now I am lying to him to cover for your ass!"
"If he cares so much then why wasn't he there?" Sharon asked her. "Three years, Kate! Three years and I didn't get one phone call! Nothing! I have raised Mikey by myself because Clint did what Clint does and he left…"
"So that's what this is?" Kate interrupted her. "You're mad at him so you're not going to tell him he has a son?"
"I'm doing this FOR his son!" Sharon told her. "You don't think I wanted Clint to be a part of this? I was in love with him!"
Kate looked taken aback as she heard Sharon say that. Sharon wiped away a few tears.
"I can't say this is how I expected my life to turn out, but that's not what's important." Sharon reiterated. "Mikey is all that's important. I can live with what Clint did. God knows I've had three years to get over it. But Mikey, I can't afford to bring someone into his life if I don't know when he'll just disappear."
"Sharon…"
"It's bad enough that I'm still in this world." Sharon told her. "Do you think I want to leave him with neighbours while I get sent by the Government on some of the most dangerous missions there is? I know all too well that there could be a time when I don't come back. It nearly happened this time, and it terrifies me to think of Mikey being all alone. Do you really think I want to bring Clint into this? I have no doubt he is right next door probably not that better off than I am right now. You think I want Mikey to have two parents that might disappear like that?"
"Speaking as someone whose parents disappeared, at least it was better than never knowing them in the first place." Kate answered bitterly. "I won't tell him, but only because you should."
As Kate left, deeply troubled by the thought of keeping this from Clint, Sharon placed her hands over her face and slumped down into the bed. She knew that sooner or later Clint would insist on seeing her, and then she'd have to answer some questions, some that she had been dreading for a long time.