CHAPTER 2 - Kidnapping
"Ow," Clint groaned when the world started to come back into focus.
"Shut up ya big baby," Bucky snarled from a few feet away. Clint jack knifed into a seated position, twisting to stare at the soldier.
"What the fuck?" Clint cried before looking around. He was in a quinjet. Or, what looked like a quinjet with some enhances from Shuri. That girl was too smart for her own good. "Did you fucking kidnap me?"
"We need your help," Bucky stressed once again. Clint scoffed. Back to that whole thing again.
"You fucking kidnapped me," the archer pressed. Bucky stood up, slamming his hands onto the bed that Clint was sitting on.
"Damn it Barton, take this seriously," Bucky hissed. Clint shifted so his legs hung off the side of the bed. He glared at the other super and Bucky simply glared back. Underneath the anger, Clint could tell there was something else bothering him but the archer just couldn't place what it was.
"Take what seriously? The fact that you kidnapped me after I adamantly refused to help you?" Clint countered. "Or how bout the fact that you didn't ask anyone else for help before me? I'm sure Wanda would have been more than willing to help. Bruce needs a new hobby. Why not have it be taking down Hydra again?"
"Fuck you," Bucky growled before stalking away. Clint huffed. A small part of the archer suddenly regretted ticking the Sergeant off but most of his mind was still focused on being angered. He had been left for nine months, no one cared. But now suddenly, a big threat had come into existence and he was needed. Why couldn't he just be needed as a fucking friend?
"Just let me off at the next exit and you can go ask the others for help!" Clint called out after him. There was another angered growl before a soft voice started trying to placate Bucky. Clint rolled his eyes. There was no way he'd stay here. Slowly he got to his feet and headed toward the back. If this was still like the jet that Tony had made all those years ago, there'd be a secret... Ah, there! With a smile, Clint opened the box and looked inside. There was nothing.
"We removed that about five minutes before you woke up," Sam informed. Clint snarled, hitting his head against the side of the jet. "Wouldn't want you skipping out on us."
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Clint demanded, turning to look at Sam. The man rolled his eyes and then tried to hand over a manila envelope. Clint stared at it for a moment before looking back to Sam. Sam nodded to it, shaking it a bit. Rolling his own eyes, Clint took it and looked inside. "What the fuck?"
Bucky had been right. According to the information, Hydra had created two more super soldiers. Well, created was a strong term. They had been enhanced but the duo died soon after. Apparently one had had a heart condition or something and the serum had been unable to fix it. A lot like Clint's ears. Zola's serum was no where near as powerful as Erskine's had been.
"Exactly. We need you cause they're hunting you down," Sam explained. Clint hesitated before looking through the rest of the information. It had pictures of the bar he had just left. The apartment building he had been staying in. The corner market that he tended to shop at. It was like his whole nine months just sitting there in a Hydra data dump. "Looked like they were gonna get you the day after we caught you."
"This... This is nuts," Clint muttered. He hadn't thought he'd actually been so out of it enough that he wouldn't notice being tailed. There had to be something else going on. The information was too stilted. Too much. "How the fuck did I not notice this?"
"You were drunk," Sam stated. Clint glared up at him over the papers.
"Never that drunk. I'm a fucking spy. I should have noticed this," Clint snarled, mostly at himself now. It was like being in 1943 all over again. What the hell happened to him? Was this why Natasha died? Why Tony died? Why Steve left? Was it all his fault? "This is ridiculous!"
"Trust me. We were shocked to see the data too. Why could Hydra find you when we couldn't? It didn't make sense. Till you go to the last page," Sam informed. Clint frowned, flipping to it.
"I have a fucking tracker?" Clint asked, his attention snapping to Sam in surprise. That... That made no sense. How the hell had that happened?
"Not an actual tracker. It wasn't noticed until Hydra found your notebook. Something in the serum that had been given to you left some sort of calling. Maybe had been given to Bucky too but somehow wore off or something. There is no other reason for how they knew," Sam mentioned. Clint frowned before looking back through the rest of the notes. It showed images of him with his family that had clearly been stolen from before Clint had gotten the serum. Then there were some with the other Avengers from before the SNAP. Laughing between Steve and Bucky about some sort of stupid joke.
"Jesus," Clint sighed out. Something in the back of his head pinged that this information was wrong but he couldn't fully figure out how. It was pretty damning that Hydra had been following him for years.
"We already got your family to safety. They're staying with Pepper and Morgan. Rhodey is watching over them," Sam stated. Clint frowned, flipping through more before he stopped at a picture of him and Natasha. Natasha had one of those half smiles that meant she found something Clint was saying something funny and Clint himself was turned to the sky, his hand looking like they were waving in some sort of description of something.
"Why were they waiting till now if they had this stuff before the SNAP? They could have easily gotten me then," Clint murmured, finally voicing his bad feeling.
"That's what we questioned too. Then we saw this," Sam replied, handing over another folder. Clint frowned but took it. A quick read later, he looked up at Sam.
"Are you serious?" Clint couldn't help but cry. Sam nodded. "They're gonna use frozen samples from Steve and myself to create more?"
"Yup. S.H.I.E.L.D had had you all freeze some shit. There's even talk of trying to use Widow's eggs. Hydra knew all of you survived the serum. Your kids must be able to as well. Even if you didn't have the serum until recently," Sam continued. Clint dropped the folders in shock. The papers scattered all over the ground. Now it made sense as to why Sam and Bucky had gone to him. This was something he seriously needed to know. It was a danger to everyone, specifically his family.
"We need-"
"To stop them," Sam finished. Clint gritted his teeth. Damn it. "Are you in?"
"They'll track us, through me. You know that right?" Clint demanded. Sam sighed.
"That's kinda what we want," Bucky retorted, coming back over to them. Clint frowned. What did he... Oh. He sighed deeply.
"I'm bait," the archer mumbled not even really feeling the idea of being used. It was as he expected. Hell, why couldn't he believe that? No one wanted him for him. They just wanted him for something else. He shouldn't be surprised that Bucky and Sam wanted him as bait. It wasn't a super they had been looking for. It was the worm to dangle on the hook. They were just being nice enough to tell the worm.
"Hydra knows about the serum, but you've been careful enough to not actually use your magic during Avenger battles, or against Thanos. They'll never know you could easily escape," Bucky explained. Clint bitterly groaned.
"No offense, but why not just let them take me before? Just watch over me rather then talk to me?" Clint wondered. Sam sighed. "You weren't thinking, were you?"
"It's not that. We wanted to let you know," Bucky said. Clint rolled his eyes. What the hell was wrong with these people? For nine months they left him alone. Nine months of not even attempting to speak to him. And now, now they seem to have some righteous feeling of warning Clint that Hydra was going to kidnap him?
"A piece of paper on my door would do just as well," Clint snipped.
"You would barely talk to us. We wanted to make sure you knew that we were gonna come get you," Sam replied. Clint snorted. There was going to be no way of getting around this no matter what he did. He was stuck. Hydra was going to come after him and there was going to be nothing he could do.
"Well, I know. Let me go back to my place and let me get kidnapped by Hydra," Clint requested. Sam and Bucky traded a quick look. That didn't seem right. Shouldn't the archer have fought more?
"That's it?" Sam asked. Clint nodded, wanting to scream to the heavens. Why couldn't he catch a fucking break? He had already lost everything. Why wouldn't whoever is in control just let him rest? "You can't be serious."
"Dead. Just let me go and I won't fight them... Too bad," Clint mentioned. Bucky snorted, a vindicated smile on his face. At least the soldier could trust the archer on that. They all knew, Clint was going to give them all shit.
After Sam and Bucky finally dropped Clint back off near the alley that had caught him at, Clint headed back to his place. Now that they had warned Clint about being watched, the archer found himself being hyper aware of everything. The whole thing would start to backfire if Clint didn't cool it. He wasn't supposed to know that Hydra was following him. And yet, he couldn't help but focus. Focus on every little shadow. Every movement. Every sound.
"This is so fucking stupid," Clint grumbled to himself as he walked. "If they were gonna get me, they'd do it on their own time. Not mine."
Clint made it all the way to his place and he slipped inside without even a single second glance from anyone. Inside, Clint took a look around. Even though he typically left the door unlocked, nothing had been disturbed. What the hell was Hydra doing? Did they actually even want to take him? Maybe Sam and Bucky had it wrong. Hydra had had nine months to get him. They would have done it before. Right?
Ended up that Clint was nearly too tense to sleep after all that. He lasted maybe two hours before he finally gave up and padded into his living room. Dropping down onto the couch, Clint wondered what he should do. There was no way he could sleep. And sitting here watching TV just didn't appeal to him. He glanced to the clock. Only one am. Sam and Bucky had caught him sometime around two or three in the afternoon. Blearily, Clint remembered returning to the apartment by maybe six or seven to simply sit and watch TV. Then, he just laid in bed at around midnight. Either way, there was still time for a bar to be open somewhere in the city.
Clint headed out of his place, ignoring the fact that Redwing was flying somewhere above him. If Sam wanted to risk getting caught over this then screw it. Outside of the bar he had already gotten kicked out of, the nearest bar was over eleven blocks away. Growling, Clint trudged off on his way. He spent the first block or two tense before figuring, fuck it. If he was gonna get taken, he was gonna get taken. Don't fucking wait for it. It was stupid of Bucky and Sam to have warned him. Now his awareness was higher. He'd might not fully be able to stop himself from trying to run.
The bar Clint got to ended up being partly a club. Clint had forgotten that bit of it. With it being so late (early), there was no line to try and get in. The bouncer at the door hardly even glanced his way. Clint wasn't honestly sure if that bothered him or not. But then again, he was gonna get beer, so who cares?
"Can I have your strongest beer?" Clint called as soon as he got to the bar. The bartender there snuffed him but did fill up a glass of something and slid it over to him. Clint smirked and grabbed him, taking a long drag of it. It tasted... Well, not great but it would do. It took Clint only a minute before he emptied the glass. With a depressed sigh, Clint signaled to the tender to get another. When he got this one, he took it and turned back to look at the people out on the dance floor. The music wasn't something that Clint was particularly interested in but he wasn't here for that. He was just here for the liquid in his hand.
"Hey there," a sultry female voice 'whispered' to Clint just as he took another drink. The archer hummed, looking over to see a woman that very quickly reminded him of Natasha. He winced. Damn, now he was likely going to have to hit a third bar before he could actually get some real rest. Fuck Sam and Bucky, they just ruined everything. "Wanna buy a girl a drink?"
"Find someone else," Clint hissed, not wanting to be nice at all to this woman. She angrily snorted at him and muttered something like 'fucking dick' before walking away. Clint rolled his eyes and looked back out at the dance floor. He went to take another sip and was surprised to see that he was empty. Groaning, he turned back and yet again signaled to the barkeep. Without a question or even a glance, a beer was slid his way. "Should make this my number one choice."
Clint smirked. He got through maybe six more drinks before he started feeling the slight buzz of being drunk. Well, maybe this place shouldn't be his number one choice. Damn place wasn't gonna get him drunk fast enough. He looked up at the bartender to see the guy was giving him a sideways look now. Likely he was gonna be cut off based on how quickly he was downing these drinks. At least at his normal bar the guy had started waiting till he was actually seeming drunk. Sighing and not wanting to start a fight with the man, Clint tossed a bunch of bills to the bartender and headed off for one of the tables. Maybe he could convince a waitress to get him a bunch of drinks before he shifted back to the bar when there was a change of shift. As he headed there, someone tapped his shoulder. Clint turned to look.
"Boss wants to invite you to come with me," a very heavy set man snapped to Clint as if the archer had insulted his mother. Clint raised an eyebrow. Was this Hydra? Well, either way. Bosses normally have better alcohol than what was served to patrons, so Clint likely had a higher chance of getting drunk with the boss.
"He got better drinks than the shit down here?" the archer wondered. The man snarled but nodded his head. Clint smirked and waved his hand toward the man. He could do that. "Lead the way."
For a club where the boss demands to see the patrons, Clint was kinda surprised that there wasn't a second floor. Hell, it wasn't even a back room or anything. Just a normal booth, in the middle of the room with one... Woman, wow. Okay. He should really stop being so sexist about shit like this. And she sat in the center of the booth, by herself with two guards at either end of the booth. When the man brought Clint over to her, she looked up.
"Hello there," the woman called. Clint nodded his own greeting. Honestly, he was used to this type of thing when he was on a mission. But actually having it happen to him, while not in character. It was disconcerting and he honestly wasn't sure how he should act. She waved her hand to the seat beside her on her left. The guard on that side moved, without even looking to see what she was doing. "Please, sit."
Clint moved and sat down, staying a bit toward the edge of the seat and was promptly hit by the ass of the guard against his arm. But he still didn't move closer. The woman chuckled and patted the seat beside her. With a grimace, Clint slowly slid over to her only a little bit. Still not as close as she'd apparently like as she gave him a disgruntled look. He finally slid the final inches, trying not to get too tense and on edge. No reason to give anything up. He just wanted a drink. There was no mission. No information nothing but the drink and getting drunk.
"There we go," she cooed. Clint said nothing even as she placed a hand on his lap. "My name is Isgerd Hundolfrdottir. But please, just Isgerd is fine."
There was a pregnant pause as Clint wondered if he should come up with a fake name or not. Then he sighed. Fuck it. No one cared about the Avengers anymore. What was it to him if he was randomly and highly unlikely recognized as Hawkeye. Which was a good thing in the end. He really didn't want to deal with 'fans.' "Clint."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Isgerd replied. Clint nodded, not wanting to say anything. "I haven't seen you in here before. Is this your first time?"
"Once before this," Clint admitted. Isgerd smiled and leaned slightly against him. He couldn't help but tense. This whole situation was weird as fuck. She suddenly signaled out to someone on the floor. Clint frowned, trying to spot whoever it was that she signaled too. He couldn't see anyone in the sea of bodies. "You from Norway?"
"Something like that," Isgerd evaded. Clint looked her over a bit closer. If she wasn't... Oh.
"Asgardian?" he asked. Isgerd focused on him a bit better.
"Not many out here know about my people. It's why I left," Isgerd muttered. Clint blushed, looking away. Foot in mouth syndrome was getting real bad lately. "You from around there?"
"Helped build New Asgard," Clint replied. Isgerd's eyebrows raised.
"Ah, one of the volunteers!" she cried, pleased. Clint nodded. Technically he did volunteer. She leaned even further onto Clint as a waitress came over with some neon blue drinks. Clint frowned at the sight as Isgred brought them closer. "Please, this is laced with some Asgardian mead."
"Sure," Clint figured, reaching for it. Maybe Asgardian mead (which Thor had already mentioned was nothing like Midgardian mead and refused to let anyone but Steve try) could get him drunker even faster than regular beer. With only a moment of hesitation, Clint took a large gulp. It had a harder burn that most other drinks but the alcohol settled well in his stomach. He smiled and took another smaller sip, milking the drink for all it was worth. Isgred laughed.
"Did not know any Midgardians that could tolerate Asgardian mead as well as you," she chuckled. Clint stilled. Shit. Her eyes narrowed for a moment and Clint knew his time was up. While Hawkeye hadn't been a widely popular name among the original Avengers before the SNAP, with only him, Bruce and Thor left, he had gotten a bit more attention. And many Asgardians knew of Clint's extreme difference with normal Midgardians, even if they didn't know it was the serum in him that allowed him to tolerate the mead. "Hawkeye?"
"I should get going," Clint tried, shifting to get up, but Isgerd turned and gripped his arm tightly. If he didn't have the super soldier serum, likely that would have not only hurt but bruise as well. He tried to pull himself away once again, feigning a wince of pain. Isgerd hardly twitched. "I think I'm done for the night."
"The night is just getting started," Isgerd informed, her voice getting dangerous. Clint frowned even further and he yanked his arm free. Screw hiding his strength any longer.
"I'm leaving," he growled, shifting away again but this time he felt odd. Something that he normally felt while on a mission that suddenly went 'FUBAR.' What? The serum shouldn't allow drugs like Rohypnol to affect him like this. He glanced at her. "Who are you really?"
"Isgerd. That wasn't made up. But, I never expected to catch an ex-Avenger," she retorted, a large smile forming on her face. "This drug is much different than your typical drug that you'd find in a place such as this. Regular Midgardians actually tend to pass out and stay unconscious for a few maybe a day or so. Surprised you haven't done that yet."
"Not a regular Midgardian," Clint slurred, blinking rapidly. God, what the fuck was this shit? Could Bucky get affected by this? Did Isgerd work with Hydra? Isgerd chuckled, shifting to lay on Clint a bit. Unable to help himself, he toppled over so he was laying on the seat.
"This will be much more fun than I anticipated," Isgerd purred, laying atop of Clint as if they were kissing so deeply they toppled over. The archer tried to struggle but could hardly move anymore. What the fuck!? He was even more stunned when the back of the seat shifted up and Isgerd forced them to tumble into the darkness. Clint tried to brace himself but by the time they hit ground again, Clint's head bashed on the floor. It left him stunned much worse than the damn drug.
"What is this?" someone snapped as Isgerd got off of the archer. Clint let his head flop to the side, toward the sound. Through bleary eyes the archer could see a goliath of a man coming forward. Details of the man escaped him but the guy seemed similar in build to Thor and hair a lot like Loki's. Fuck Asgardians.
"Another Avenger," Isgerd snipped back. Clint frowned. Another? He tried to focus, looking around the room and there... On the other side, covered mostly in shadows, hung a form, completely unconscious. It could be anyone, but Clint at least now knew wasn't alone. Not that that information was actually seriously useful. It just warned Clint that he not only needed to save himself, but he also needed to save a second person.
"Hydra didn't need another," the man growled.
"Maybe this one's mine? But, he was like that one. Hard to put under," Isgerd retorted. Shit, it was Bucky over there? And of course... Of course the damn bitch worked for Hydra. The man suddenly leaned down to stare at Clint, blocking the archer's view of who he now knew was Bucky. But wait, if Bucky was captured? Where was Sam?
"Finish drugging him. Maybe we can get double our fee then," the man hissed. Clint felt a sharp prick on his arm. He tried to look and see what happened, who it was that did that, but he felt tired. So, so tired. His eyes closed. No! Bad idea! Clint struggled to open them again. He got as far as cracking them open before his body gave in and he saw darkness.
Okay, sorry this is late. I post here and on Archive on the same day and Archive was going through some maintenance that made it emails were not always going through. So, I waited to make sure everyone there had a higher chance of getting the email.
Darius is doing well. Spent a lot of this weekend with his grandmother. The longest I've ever spent away from him and when Clint was alive, him as well. It was fine the first night and a little into the second but then it hurt that day. The reason it hurt is that I'm still partly in denial that Clint is gone. My mind keeps telling me that he is in school or he is with the grandparents, so suddenly having Darius gone basically made me freak out. Rationally I knew that Darius was fine and that Clint is gone but emotionally I just kept thinking I lost both kids. I'm going to have to get over this soon... My one true saving grace in all this was writing. Got a few different stories lined up and a sequel series to this in the works. Already halfway through the second story on the sequel series. Got maybe six other stories in the works, one being another series. _ Too much! But, it keeps me busy when my mind gets trapped on one story, I just jump to another until I can figure out where to go next.
Anyways, I plan on posting a new chapter on Friday so I'll see you all then!