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Bruce and the Other Guy shared a complicated working relationship. For the most part, whenever the Other Guy took control, Bruce's consciousness of what was happening would slip away into a state most closely resembling sleep. When the Other Guy was finished, Bruce would return with a vague recollection of what had happened and feeling far from well rested.

It wasn't a great feeling. Not knowing what damage he would cause while the Other Guy was in control always made Bruce nervous. But over time, either through necessity or constant exposure, Bruce became more or less comfortable with their arrangement.

Which is why Bruce's sudden awareness while the Other Guy was still in control was so shocking.

It was a strange sensation. Bruce could see everything the Other Guy saw, could feel the anger and frustration coursing through him as he paced back and forth through a hallway, stopping occasionally to punch holes in the wall. Bruce could sense how desperately the Other Guy wanted to fight.

"Calm yourself, friend," Thor said. He stood nearby, Mjolnir held tightly in his hand while he surveyed the hallways. "A.I.M. has all but abandoned the battle, but it would be ill advised to draw their attention."

The Other Guy grunted, knocking another hole into the wall out of spite before settling down. Footsteps and the low murmur of voices to their left drew their attention, both of the Avengers preparing to attack, when the Iron Man armor stepped into view. Agent Barton followed close behind him with Captain Rogers bringing up the rear, and Bruce felt a wave of protectiveness sweep through the Other Guy as he rushed toward the group.

"-guy looked like a Grade-D horror movie villain. The scariest thing about him was that he thought he was actually intimidatin'," Agent Barton was saying. He turned and caught sight of Thor and the Other Guy, a hesitant grin appearing on his face. "Hey guys. Haven't seen you in a while."

It was their first real glimpse of Agent Barton, and had Bruce been able to drop his jaw in surprise, he would have. The Other Guy hesitated, stomping angrily and slowly inching closer while sniffing the air. He may not have been able to fully comprehend the myriad of Agent Barton's injuries that Bruce was already starting to categorize in terms of severity, but he knew something was wrong. A strong desire to smash the entire compound until only rubble was left burned through the Other Guy…and maybe a small part of that desire was from Bruce himself.

"Whoa, Big Guy," Agent Barton said, picking up on the Other Guy's distress. The Other Guy snarled, but Agent Barton ignored it and clapped the Hulk on the shoulder. "Relax, buddy, 's all right. Think you can get us out of here?"

"There is an exit nearby, down the next corridor," Thor said. He paused, concerned eyes resting on Agent Barton's face before saying sincerely, "It's good to have you back, friend."

Agent Barton nodded then turned his attention to Steve and asked, "Is Nat here?"

Captain Rogers shook his head, leading the group toward the exit. "She's on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission. Natasha hasn't been back to the tower since before you-." He paused. "Since she left on her solo mission."

"Fury has her on radio silence," Tony added. "No calls in or out, otherwise I bet she'd be here."

"Understood," Agent Barton said quietly. "More excitement for the rest of us then."

They reached the door, the Other Guy punching it off the hinges before stepping into the warm air. The others followed close behind him, Captain Rogers taking the lead and assessing their situation.

"The Quinjet's that way," he said pointing. "Thor, Stark, if you can give myself and Hawkeye a ride, the Hulk can run back before we get Banner to return. It'll take less time than bringing the Quinjet here, and if S.H.I.E.L.D. is anywhere in the area, it will give them a clear space to work."

"That's fine with me, Cap," Tony said, "but Barton seems to have other ideas."

They looked for the archer and found him already walking toward the location Steve had pointed out. He hobbled along, muttering to himself under his breath, and glancing around to make sure the area was clear. They hurriedly caught up to him, one of Tony's metal hands resting carefully on his shoulder to stop him as his synthesized voice from behind the face-plate said, "That's more than a ten-minute walk, Barton. I think it's better for you to put pride aside and accept a ride."

Agent Barton looked at Tony for a moment, brow furrowing in mild confusion before he shrugged, shucked off the other man's hand, and continued walking. "'m fine," he said.

"Hold on a second," Captain Rogers said, stepping in front of the smaller man and making him stop. Agent Barton focused on him, a shiver running through his body that Bruce added to his list of symptoms as a possible fever. "It's too far to walk in your condition, Hawkeye. It's your choice whether you go with Thor or Stark, but you can't walk all the way back."

"The hell I can't," Agent Barton shot back. He glared at Captain Rogers, and made to move around him, but Thor blocked his path. Tony joined them on the other side as the Other Guy stood behind the archer, effectively boxing Agent Barton in. He huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, shoulders slumping as he said, "I've got a broken arm, sprained knee, cuts, bruises, and at the very least, a couple of fractured ribs. That's on top of an electroshock truth serum, so I hate to admit this, but I'm holdin' onto consciousness by a thread here. Any kinda pressure that comes from being lifted, and I can guarantee you that I will pass out. Walkin' is my only option."

"Maybe not," Tony said. "A.I.M. hasn't followed us out, and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s sensors show they are vacating the compound. Like Cap said, it'll take longer, but I could retrieve the Quinjet, fly back, and pick everyone up. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes."

"Do it," Captain Rogers said. Iron Man jetted away without another word, and Steve turned to the remaining Avengers. "We'll head for the trees as cover until Stark returns with the Quinjet. Hulk, we could really use Doctor Banner right now."

The Other Guy growled, looking wistfully at the compound as he clenched his fists. Bruce found himself silently begging the Other Guy to give him control, telling the Other Guy that Agent Barton needed a doctor. Thor seemed to have a similar idea if the way he stood with the Hulk while Captain Rogers ushered Hawkeye toward the trees was any indication.

"I know you wish to continue the battle, Hulk, but for the archer's sake, you must give Doctor Banner control," Thor said. "Hawkeye is in ill condition, and though he claims to speak freely, I fear he tells us partial truths. He may try to reject Doctor Banner's care, but perhaps the man's medical knowledge will persuade Hawkeye to see reason."

The Other Guy glanced toward the trees where Captain Rogers was awkwardly hovering near Hawkeye, listening to him and subtly standing ready to catch him if he fell. "Puny Banner help Cupid," the Other Guy said, gruff concern in his voice.

The next thing Bruce knew, he was clutching at his pants to keep them from falling down. Thor was standing over him, one hand on Bruce's shoulder to offer support while the Norse god asked whether he was okay.

Bruce nodded, one hand wearily covering his face as he took a moment to organize his thoughts. Thor was telling him about the rescue, gesturing to where Bruce already knew Agent Barton was standing, and Bruce hazarded a glance. His shoulders slumped, not because he didn't want to help Agent Barton. He was exhausted and as much as he wanted to help, getting Hawkeye to voluntarily let him look him over was going to be a trial of patience.

"Are you ready, Doctor Banner?" Thor asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Bruce said, following after Thor. "On a scale of one to ten, how easy will it be to convince Agent Barton to let me examine him?"

Thor chuckled, smiling at Bruce. "It would be easier to tame bilgesnipe than convince the Hawk he requires assistance," Thor said. "But I have faith in you. You are a good man and a steadfast friend, Doctor Banner."

"That's why I knew he had disappeared, right?" Bruce said sarcastically. He squared his shoulders, pulled up his pants with as much dignity as possible and made his way to Agent Barton and Captain Rogers.

"Hey, Bruce," Agent Barton said when he got closer, "I see Tony hasn't made good on his promise of super stretchy pants yet. You should tell him to get on top of that. We don't want anyone seein' you or the Hulk butt naked anytime soon."

"I'll make sure he gets the memo," Bruce said with a small smile. He shifted feet nervously. The black and purple bruises seemed to stand out starkly on Hawkeye's skin, lines of blood and dirt caked onto his body and hair, and pain lines more visible now than when Bruce was the Hulk. "So all of my supplies are in the Quinjet, but why don't you tell me what hurts and we can go from there."

"Don' worry about it, Doc," Agent Barton said. "I'll have S.H.I.E.L.D. check me over when I get back."

"This coming from the man who didn't want to be carried because he would lose consciousness," Bruce replied. "You can't say you're in that much pain and refuse medical assistance."

"Would you believe me if I said I lied to save my pride?" Agent Barton asked with a weak smile, rubbing his good hand along the back of his neck.

"I'd believe you found a way to lie, but you weren't lying earlier," Bruce said. There was an awkward silence, Agent Barton's jaw clenching, his open expression shutting down. "Please let me help you. You're in pain, and I understand that you don't trust me. At the very least let me give you a brief exam; Natasha would kill me if we let you go back without patching you up first."

"I trust you, Doc," Agent Barton said. He shrugged and said, "But you don't have to do this. I've been through worse than this, an' I have enough experience to know I can wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. medical to look at me."

"Hawkeye, perhaps you ought to let Doctor Banner-"

"I don't need any doctorin', Cap," Agent Barton interrupted Captain Rogers, shaking his head. "Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark are already here."

He pointed toward the clearing, and the small group followed his gaze, watching as three S.H.I.E.L.D. jets and the Quinjet hovered in the air before touching down on the grass. The doors opened, half a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rushing into the compound while a few went toward Tony who was shouting orders from the Quinjet, his armor already packed away.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will be too busy with cleanup to leave anytime soon," Captain Rogers said. "If you insist on going to the base, we'll take you there ourselves. Doctor Banner, make sure Hawkeye gets to the plane and that Tony is ready to fly. Thor and I will go and give the incoming agents a brief rundown."

Bruce nodded, shepherding Agent Barton across the field and into the Quinjet where the younger man promptly settled himself in the furthest corner and passed out. Agent Barton's respiration rate, while a little rapid, appeared to be within normal limits, so Bruce let him be. After all, there was little he could do for a patient that refused to cooperate.

"He looks terrible," Bruce said quietly to Tony when the inventor rejoined them in the cabin. "I'm surprised he's even able to move."

"You know how stubborn Birdbrain is. Before we met up with Thor and you, we ran into a couple of A.I.M. henchmen and he took them out with a handful of pennies. He didn't miss a step, it was like nothing happened to him," Tony replied. He analyzed Bruce, running a critical eye over his baggy shorts and rumpled hair before throwing a bag at him and taking a seat, sprawling comfortably on the leather chairs. "You're looking a little ruffled yourself, Bruce. Did Big Green not want to take a nap so soon?"

"He had a lot of anger to get rid of," Bruce said. He pulled out his spare set of clothes, glad Tony had remembered where they were and pulled them on. With a sigh, he dropped onto the couch and added, "The Other Guy wanted to tear the whole place apart."

"Maybe he should," Tony said. His jaw was set angrily, hard in a way Bruce hadn't seen since he stood toe-to-toe with Captain Rogers on the Helicarrier. "They're never going to stop. There will always be another bad guy to fight."

"You're not suggesting we murder anybody, are you, Tony?" Bruce asked cautiously. "Because if we do that, we're as bad as they are."

"Keep your stretchy purple britches on, Bruce," Tony said lightly, patting him on the shoulder and shooting him a charming grin. "All I'm saying is there has to be a better way. We can't do this forever."

Captain Rogers and Thor boarding the Quinjet interrupted whatever Bruce was planning to say. Tony gave him a wry grin before following Captain Rogers to the cockpit. Thor settled himself near Bruce, the two of them watching over the sleeping Agent Barton as the Quinjet rumbled to life and took off.

They stayed in companionable silence for much of the flight, Bruce absently tapping his fingers on his knee while he thought. He was confused about Agent Barton, how he said he trusted Bruce but refused to let Bruce examine him. Guilt for not being able to help and for avoiding the agent before his kidnapping gnawed at Bruce, and he found himself stuck between needing to atone for his behavior and not knowing how to do it.

"What troubles you, Doctor Banner?" Thor asked solemnly.

Bruce shook himself from his thoughts, letting his eyes drift from Agent Barton to Thor. The god chuckled lowly at the look of surprise on his face, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"I have lived many years and fought many battles," Thor said. "I know the look of a warrior struggling to make sense of their mind. You worry about the Hawk and carry guilt about his current state, I assume."

"That obvious, huh?" Bruce said.

"My friend, we all carry guilt for his disappearance and for our behavior beforehand," Thor said. "But it is better to learn from our mistakes than to dwell on the past."

"Tony had you watch The Lion King, didn't he?" Bruce asked jokingly.

Thor chuckled quietly. "I did enjoy the warthog and meerkat's merry adventures," he said, "But alas, that is a lesson learned by trial and error."

"Stark said we'll be landing soon," Captain Rogers said quietly, easing into the back of the Quinjet. "We may want to rouse Hawkeye before we get to base.

Bruce stretched and stood up to join Captain Rogers. "Don't shake him awake," he said. "He's an assassin, I doubt he'll respond well to being touched."

Captain Rogers nodded once, dropping his outstretched hand, and took a step back. "Hawkeye, wake up. We're almost at S.H.I.E.L.D.," he said. When Agent Barton showed no signs of moving, Captain Rogers cleared his throat and shifted closer. He said louder, "Hawkeye! S.H.I.E.L.D. medical will be here soon, you need to wake up!"

"Barton!" Thor's yelled, his voice echoing through the cabin. Turning to Bruce in concern, he asked, "What could cause Hawkeye's continued slumber?"

"I don't know," Bruce replied honestly. He moved closer to Agent Barton to assess his condition. "I don't think he's the deep sleeper type. Hopefully it's not a coma. Sleep deprivation and exhaustion could have him in a deep unconscious state; and I suppose, based on contusions to the head, some kind of hearing damage could have occurred-"

"Didn't I tell you to wake him up?" Tony asked, strutting into view. "Rise and shine Legolas! I know these chairs are comfy, but you have a hot date with some S.H.I.E.L.D. medics. Up and at 'em!"

Tony moved toward Agent Barton, the intent to shake him awake clear on his face.

"I wouldn't do that, Tony," Bruce said while moving to intercept him. "We don't know how he'll react."

"What's he going to do?" Tony said, shrugging off Bruce's hands. "The man can barely walk."

It happened so quickly, Bruce didn't have time to shout out a warning. Tony's hand landed on Agent Barton's shoulder and the next thing Bruce knew, Tony's arm was wrenched painfully behind his back by one of Agent Barton's arms. The other was wrapped around Tony's neck, tight enough to leave the engineer spluttering for breath.

As quickly as it happened, Agent Barton's hazy, wild blue eyes sparked with recognition and he recoiled. He pushed Tony away from him, his hands hovering nearby as he anxiously glanced around the cabin.

"Shit! Tony, I'm so sorry! I-…I could have killed you," Agent Barton said quickly. "I didn't recognize you. I thought you were Jacques and-"

Agent Barton cut himself off with an obvious effort, knuckles white where they dug into his temples. "Rule number one when working with assassins," Agent Barton grit out, "never surprise them when they're sleeping."

"No kidding," Tony said, rubbing at his neck. "In the future, maybe we should pour water over you instead."

"We're at S.H.I.E.L.D., right?" Agent Barton asked. He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. Bruce rushed forward to help, but Agent Barton shooed him away. The archer limped heavily toward the door, waving a hand at them over his shoulder. "Thanks for the ride, and sorry again for hurting you, Tony. I guess I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks."

"I don't like this," Tony said, glaring at the S.H.I.E.L.D. medics ushering Agent Barton into the building. "We're just going to let him go with them?"

"We don't have a choice," Captain Rogers said in resignation. "It's his decision."

"I think we should go get him."

"Tony, it was Hawkeye's decision to go with S.H.I.E.L.D.. I don't like it either, but we have to respect his choices," Steve said.

It wasn't the first time they'd had that conversation. Steve would have had a headache from the number of times he had fought Stark about the issue if it weren't for Erkskine's serum that kept him from getting them. No matter how hard Steve fought to convince Stark that leaving Hawkeye with S.H.I.E.L.D. was for the best, even going so far as to attempt calling Natasha for confirmation, Stark was adamantly trying to prove him wrong.

"It's been four days without word from him or S.H.I.E.L.D., Cap," Stark said, frustration clear in his voice. "Doesn't this whole situation feel off to you? The greatest minds this world has to offer are sitting here in Stark Tower, and S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't once asked for our help. What are they hiding?"

"I hate to say it, but Tony has a point," Bruce said.

"I agree that S.H.I.E.L.D. should have asked for our help, but-"

"Why are you defending them?" Tony asked. "Don't you want to know what they're doing with him?"

Steve struggled not to roll his eyes, settling on glaring at Stark across the kitchen table where they were holding their latest debate. It was Steve duty to know what went on with his team, and Stark was deliberately pushing Steve's buttons when he knew that it was killing Steve to sit around and wait for S.H.I.E.L.D. to supply them with information.

"Captain Rogers is only doing what he feels is best," Thor said.

Steve's cellular phone buzzed, distracting him from the conversation, and when he pulled out the device, Natasha's name flashed across the screen. He excused himself to answer her call in private, stepping into the next room while keeping an eye on the gathered men. "Natasha. I'm glad you got my message," he said. "I didn't know if they still had you on radio silence when I called the other day, but I knew somebody needed to talk to you."

"What trouble did you boys get in while I've been busy?" she said, her voice sounding curt over the phone. "You never call me during missions."

"Normally, no. But this was a special circumstance," Steve replied. "While you were gone, the Avengers were deployed to stop A.I.M.. At some point in the scuffle, A.I.M. captured Hawkeye. By the time we realized he was gone and left to rescue him-"

"Is he alive?" Natasha interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Is Barton alive?" she repeated.

"Yes, but-"

"Then I don't know what you expect me to do," she said. "Hawkeye is tough. He doesn't need me."

"They tortured him, Natasha," Steve said empathetically. "You're his friend, I thought you would want to know."

"Barton has been tortured before," Natasha said, voice cold and patience waning. "He's been trained for it."

"Natasha, this is different," Steve said, rubbing his forehead. "A.I.M. had him for a while. He's in bad shape, and they injected him with a new kind of truth serum. I've never seen anything like it, even Hill didn't recognize it."

"Where is Barton now?"

"He's at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in the infirmary. Doctors are looking after him while they search for an antidote to the serum," Steve said, hoping she would tell him it was the right thing to do.

"You let him go with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

There was something odd about the way she said it that felt like she was chastising him. He shuffled uncomfortably on the spot and said, "He's an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha. He demanded we take him to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infirmary."

There was a long silence. Steve was almost certain Natasha had hung up on him when her eerily calm voice said, "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s not trying to find an antidote. If Clint has a newly synthesized truth serum in his blood, Clint won't get an antidote until they've isolated, tested, and manufactured the serum for use."

Steve froze. "Are you positive?"

"Remove Clint from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Tell Stark and Bruce to start on a cure. I'll be there in a few hours."

There was a click and the phone went silent. Steve glanced at the screen before shoving the phone into his pocket and storming into the kitchen.

"What did Widow have to say?" Tony asked. "Does she want to weigh in on our debate?"

"Grab your gear," Steve commanded. "You were right, Stark. According to Natasha, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't trying to cure Hawkeye, they're using him to harvest the truth serum. You can boast later, but for now, we need to get him out of there as quickly as possible."

"Well, I'll be damned," Tony said, setting down his coffee and determinedly moving to grab his suit. "It's about time we took action."