A/N: As always, thank you so much for reviewing! (White Bishop, I am getting yours even if it isn't posting them, so keep them coming, please! They're great!)
9. Didn't it seem like something more
His phone buzzes and he looks down at it for a moment, perplexed. It was common for him to have some means of communication on his person when he was sent out on missions, especially after they lost him in New York once. Sometimes that meant a phone, but he's not used to the practice of having one all the time. The fact that it is only a text message is somehow comforting, and he waits a moment before picking up the device to read it.
'Mission with Barton. Join us? Extraction in 30 minutes :)'
From Natalia. He frowns slightly, uncertainly. She hadn't mentioned a mission when she'd left a few days earlier. 'Okay,' he responds.
The mission gear he wore as the Soldier was long gone. He couldn't bear wearing it anymore, even if he was attacking HYDRA and it might mean something to them. With some help from Steve, he had found tactically similar clothing that had none of the connotations. The trousers were black and possessed many pockets for supplies, and the boots were also black and had good treads. He wore a belt containing a few pouches for grenades or magazines, and the tight-fitting black shirt had removable sleeves so he could choose whether he wanted to reveal his arm or not. It was often useful to have it uncovered, to prevent overheating, but it did keep him from being anonymous. He had a mask, not at all similar to his old one, if he needed it and usually wore finger-less gloves on both hands.
'Come outside.'
He stops studying his hands when the phone buzzes, and then picks up a bag containing his disassembled rifle and a few pistols. HYDRA always kept him well-supplied with weaponry, and he finds it uncomfortable to go on missions without it. Natalia must feel similarly, as her safe houses always contain what could only be called an armory. Most of his arsenal he has gotten from her; Steve prefers to just use his shield.
A truck is pulled up next to the curb and he sees her inside, smiling at him when he steps outside his building. He sees Barton in the back seat, and gives him a nod, trying to ignore his nervousness as he opens the door and climbs into the passenger seat.
"Hello, James," Natalia says as she drives them away from his apartment.
"Hello," he replies quietly.
"How's it going, Barnes?" Barton asks.
"Not bad. And yourself?" he answers automatically.
Barton smiles grimly; he can see him in the side mirror. "Well, you know, I keep finding myself less and less employable. It's starting to look like I should go back to the damn circus," he says, but his tone is casual.
"Clint used to be in a circus," Natalia explains with a smirk.
"I think he could figure that out from context, 'Tasha," Barton interjects, rolling his eyes.
He looks between them silently, uncertainly. Being on missions with Steve and Sam is much more… transparent. Spies are more complicated. "Where are we going?" he asks.
Barton makes an exasperated noise. "You're dragging him along and you don't even tell him the op? What's going on with you, 'Tasha?"
"I just thought he could use a reason to get out of the house. We all could, don't you think?" she adds, a little sharply.
Barton falls silent, looking out the window. He wonders what they'd been doing since he last saw them. "Anyway, James, it's not a big deal. We're just going a little ways out of town to check on some assets of Fury's. I'm sure it's nothing any one of us couldn't handle, but I figured you fellas would appreciate something to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I know you think it's important that I don't wander around in my robe all day, but I don't really see what the problem is," Barton grumbles.
Natalia gives him a quelling look, and he goes back to looking out the window. "In any case, Fury sent me and recent events indicate that backup is a good idea even when we think we know what we're getting into."
"Oh, 'Tasha, next you'll be saying we need to insist on having an extraction plan before we jump in," Barton says with a grin.
She smiles back at him. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. Besides, we have James."
Barton looks at him appraisingly, and he raises an eyebrow in response to the scrutiny. "So, what do you say, Barnes? You good enough to get us out of any situation 'Tasha throws us into?"
He considers a moment before answering. "Extraction of friendlies isn't really my area of expertise," he offers. Barton waits, expression prompting. "But I know how to clear a path."
"That's what I've heard. I can't wait to see you in action, man." Barton leans forward to clap him on the shoulder, then sits back, a pleased look on his face. "So, you been on any missions with Cap lately?"
"Yeah. Sam and I helped him free some prisoners from a HYDRA facility about a week ago."
"That sounds like extraction to me," Barton says, almost reassuringly.
He can't get a good read on the man. He seems like he would be distant, aloof, to strangers, but then seems oddly concerned about him. Perhaps Natalia has something to do with it, but he's not sure. It seems like something else. "Well, I wasn't much involved in the prisoner aspect of the mission," he explains.
"What did you do, then?"
Licking his lips, he glances out the window to his right. "I eliminated potential threats."
Barton looks at Natalia through the rearview mirror, questioning. "He means he snuck into the barracks and wiped them out," she explains, no judgment in her voice.
The archer nods appreciatively. "Glad to have you along then, Barnes."
Either Natalia undersold the mission, or her data was woefully inaccurate. The assets of Fury's she was sent to look into are hard copies of files. They are hidden in an office building that, up until recently, was maintained to appear in business. When SHIELD fell, the resources for that sort of stunt were no longer available, and it's become obvious that no one ever worked there. At least, it was obvious to him as soon as they see it. Perhaps others were not so quick at reading the signs.
In any case, it appears quiet enough as Natalia parks their vehicle and they climb out. They wouldn't pass for civilians, but may not obviously be agents. When they walk across the parking lot, the silence is eerie, and he feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He's glad he has some knives on him, so he won't have to take the time searching through his bag before he can defend himself. Not that he can't hold his own with his bare hands, of course.
Natalia leads the way directly to the door, Barton taking a more circuitous route to check the perimeter. He follows Natalia, but keeps an eye on their retreat. At the door, she begins typing something into the keypad beside it, and he hangs back a few feet. Something she presses must be wrong, because an alarm begins to sound. She flashes a self-effacing smile at him before trying again.
Suddenly, shots ring out and Barton dives toward them, hissing at a graze in his upper arm. The shooter is in a room somewhere above, and they are too close to the building to be in direct range. He looks expectantly at Natalia, waiting for orders. She finishes inputting the key code and this time the door opens.
"What's the plan?" Barton asks, pressing a hand to his wound and frowning.
She shrugs. "We go get the files and take out anyone in our way. Who wants to go first?"
He's momentarily thrown by the lack of orders, but then he has an important question. "Who's shooting at us?"
Barton laughs. "I have no idea, man. Someone always seems to be."
"No, I mean, what kind of people would be holed up here, waiting for intruders?"
Natalia shrugs. "HYDRA, I imagine. Maybe AIM. Not SHIELD, though."
He nods. "Okay, let's go."
Though he often led a team with Steve, this is different. Steve always went first into combat; he only went first if stealth was involved. But he's been itching for something to do, he realizes, and this is where he feels most comfortable, after all. He won't dwell on what that means for him and focuses on the mission at hand.
It doesn't take long. There aren't more than two dozen men guarding the building, and the three of them take everyone down easily. Within half an hour, they have the files and are back in Natalia's vehicle, heading home. They have a few scratches and bruises, but are otherwise unharmed. He doesn't think about the proportion of threats he eliminated single-handedly.
"I don't know how I let you talk me into these things," Barton grumbles, rubbing at a bruise already forming on his forehead.
"Into what?" she asks sweetly.
"'Tasha, every time I've been on the mission with you in the last two years, I've gotten a head injury. If you're trying to make sure there aren't any residual effects from what that bastard did to me, you can stop. I'm in control."
He glances sharply at Barton, but he's looking down and misses the movement. Natalia laughs lightly, but catches his reaction. "Well, you know, a cognitive recalibration is important from time to time. Your place first?"
"Yeah."
The drive to Barton's place, as he supposes it must be, is silent. Return trips from missions often were with Steve and them, too. When they drop off Barton, he hugs Natalia, somewhat awkwardly as she's still in the driver's seat, then nods at him. "Good working with you, Barnes. See you next time," he adds, before turning away.
Natalia waits until he disappears into the building before pulling away. "You know about the Chitauri?" she asks seriously.
He blinks, bringing his thoughts back to the present. "The things that attacked New York?"
"Yes. They were led by Loki, Thor's brother."
Nodding, he turns to face her. "I know that."
"Clint was captured by Loki, and he used some kind of magic to control him. When he fought me, I knocked him out and that brought him back," she explains emotionlessly.
His brow furrows slightly as he digests this. "So my trying to kill you while brainwashed wasn't really a unique experience for you?"
A startled laugh escapes her, and she glances over at him to grin. "That's not exactly what I was getting at, but you're right."
"Good to know."