Chapter 14

Agent Joseph Higgins was the kind of man you wanted to lead your team. He was a smart, fair, and hard to anger. He made smart decisions in the field and was quick to assess situations and adjust accordingly. He treated his team with respect and made an actual effort to look after them. It took a lot to anger the man, something like a mission that was clearly a set up that resulted in one agent being taken hostage and the rest of them being killed. One of those agents killed was his partner and best friend for the last five years. The ever so calm Agent Higgins wasn't just angry, he was furious.

As soon as the jet he was on landed Higgins rushed out, ignoring the calls from the medical staff, and headed towards the gym. The mission was supposed to be easy. There weren't supposed to be any dangers that would cause the death of his entire team except for the one. Somehow, the people that had attacked him had gotten information that they'd be there. In other words, there was a mole somewhere in SHEILD and Higgins already knew where to go.

The gym was mostly empty when he arrived. The people that where there stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Whether it was from the dark energy pouring out of him or the large gash on his forehead that was still bleeding, he didn't know. He didn't really care all that much either. He was on the hunt and wouldn't stop until he found his prey.

Clint was in line to get lunch when his cell phone rang out. He fished it out of his pocket with his free hand and briefly glanced at Coulson's number before answering.

"Barton,"

"You need to start wearing your comm unit more often." Coulson said.

"C'mon Phil,"

"Shut up Barton," he ordered "where's Romanoff?" Clint heard the seriousness in Coulson's voice and his eyes shot over to where Natasha sat.

"She's here in the cafeteria what's,"

"Get her and bring her," a loud banging caught Clint's attention and he didn't hear what his handler said after that. Agent Higgins burst in to the room, eyes blazing, and blood running down his face. His eyes scanned over everyone until they landed on Natasha and his expression grew darker.

"Shit! We've got a problem," Clint said and rushed to intercept Higgins before he could reach her.

"On our way," Coulson said and the line went dead. Clint dropped the phone and watched as Natasha stood up. Higgins was about to reach her but someone stopped him.

"Hey calm down," Keith Brennan blocked his path.

"Out of my way kid," Higgins pushed him aside but Brennan grabbed his arm before he could charge at the woman.

"Calm the hell down," he earned a punch to his stomach and while he was stunned Higgins pushed past him and grabbed Natasha by her arms. She glared right back at him as he pushed her into the wall. His hands were gripping painfully into her bare arms. She didn't take it for long though. She was out of his grip and had him pinned to the wall in seconds. Clint was glad that it was all she did. Just as he was about to attack again Clint arrived and pulled her away from him. He handed her off to Brennan who made sure she stayed back. Higgins pushed off the wall to go at her again but Clint pushed him back. With all his anger, Higgins was stronger than he normally was and Clint struggled a bit to hold him back.

"Higgins, what the hell has gotten into you?" Clint yelled at him.

"She," he glared at Natasha "that woman sold us out!"

"What are you talking about?"

"My team!" He shouted back at Clint "all of them are dead because someone tipped them off that we'd be there!"

"Higgins you don't know,"

"I do know!" He shouted angrily at Clint.

That was the scene Coulson, Hill, and Fury himself walked into. There was also a few guards with them. Two went to take Higgins and two grabbed Natasha, even though she wasn't fighting. Coulson and Hill walked over to where Clint stood and Fury stood between Natasha and Higgins.

"Is someone going to calmly explain to me what is going on?" Fury said calmly but Higgins wasn't about to calm down. He was looking directly at Natasha now.

"You might have the rest of them fooled but not me!" He yelled. "I know you had something to do with this and I swear to you I'm going to prove it!"

"Higgins," Fury didn't snap but he did get the man's attention. "Tell me what happened." Higgins was breathing heavily as he looked up at the director. He took a deep breath and tried to restrain the anger as he spoke to him.

"We were sent on the routine mission that's required of all the newer agents. Something easy to give them an idea of what they'll be expected to do. I only had one of the newer agents. The mission was compromised before we ever got there," he said "four members of my team were killed and one was taken as a hostage."

"Who," Fury asked.

"The new agent sir," his eyes flickered back to Natasha "you remember Frank Massey right? I heard you almost killed him but you were smart. Why kill him when there are witnesses when you can call up your little friends to interrupt his first mission?"

"Higgins," Fury said calmly.

"Where did they take him huh?"

"Higgins," Fury said a little more forcefully and the man looked back up at the director. "What proof do you have that Ms. Romanoff was involved?"

"Besides the fact that she is a heartless Russian assassin with a history? Besides the fact that practically everyone on this base thinks that she was sent here to get into out agency and take it down?" He glared back at Natasha as he spoke and she was borderline glaring right back.

"Sir, Romanoff hasn't been anywhere besides the gym or the cafeteria," Clint chimed in. "She's barely been alone and the security cameras can confirm all that."

"She's the best Russian assassin out there Barton!" Higgins yelled at him. "You really think she can't sneak past a few cameras? Maybe if you weren't so focused on wanting to screw her,"

"That's enough Agent Higgins," Fury cut him off with a hard look in his eyes. "You are a senior agent so why don't you act like one."

"There's no evidence that Romanoff had anything to do with this Higgins," Clint said and tried to hold back his own anger at the man's comment. Higgins looked from him then back to Fury with a deathly serious look in his eyes.

"I recorded some of them talking," Higgins said and looked down at his pocket. Fury nodded to one of the guards holding hm. The guard holding his right arm let go and allowed him to reach into his pocket and grab a small recording device. His glare returned to Natasha as he pressed play and voices filled the now silent cafeteria. Natasha kept her face blank as the voices continued and Higgins spoke again "They were speaking Russian."

Sooo, this seemed like a good place to stop this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed and thanks for the reviews so far :) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!