Ch. 13

Natasha had no intention of sleeping. Her nightmares were bad enough when their star performer wasn't right down the hall. However, she had spent many years learning exactly how to feign sleep so that even the Doctor didn't know she was awake. He loved to watch people sleep- it was among his creepiest traits. Something about seeing a REM cycle in action, he said, told a lot about a person's psyche. When she was young, before she could fake it well enough, he would give her drugs to ensure that she would sleep through the night.

As always, her body tensed as her mind got too close to those memories. She had to be careful, especially now, to keep the past out of her thoughts. Controlled emotion was crucial to tricking Dr. Z. At least while they traveled by submarine, he would be too busy to work with her. Once they arrived at a training base, however, Natasha knew her life would enter that hell she worked so hard to escape.

In order to stay calm, Natasha ran through tactics again. Normally this was her least favorite part of a mission; sitting around planning and re-planning, looking at every detail from every angle. Clint often sent her away during this phase of a mission because she was more of a distraction than an asset. This time, Natasha had a lot more invested in the success of the mission. Knowing Dr. Z, he would not travel directly to a training center. Instead, they would stop somewhere completely neutral in order to change mode of transportation, identity, and direction. He loved to double back and take his time getting places so there was no predictable path to follow.

This was her opening. A public place, the chaos of travel- she would have to send Clint a clue somehow. Yet nothing was coming to mind. They would be in a different country, so how would Clint even know a breadcrumb had been left? The more Natasha thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Clint wouldn't know where to look and even if he did happen upon her message, it would give no indication of where they were heading next. She knew there had to be a way to get the Avenger's attention quickly without alerting Dr. Z to her plan.

Suddenly a harsh beeping sounded throughout the submarine. They were resurfacing. Natasha jumped off her bunk; she had no plan and no weapons. The only thing she could find in the room at all was a marker on a side table. Desperately wishing she knew what to do, Natasha tucked it into her boot.

"Oh yeah, this'll be great," she muttered under her breath as she made her way to the front of the sub.

Normally people regain consciousness slowly, as if emerging from a deep sleep. Clint's mind, however, came screaming to the surface of awareness as if someone had yelled 'fire.' He fought to get up and push past the hands holding him down, not knowing where he was or who he was with. Only Natasha mattered and he had to get to her. After a moment, Clint realized that he was still on the ship where he had been shot, and it was Rogers holding him down. That explained why he wasn't going anywhere.

"Clint, calm down. You need to stay still, okay? Fury gave me permission to knock you out if you don't listen."

Fury. Well at least his communication got through. Clint settled back on the deck, trying to take in as much as possible without moving too much. There were SHIELD agents moving around, most likely gathering evidence. He could hear the hum of the new Quinjet, the voice of Agent Hill shouting orders, and Tony filling Dr. Banner in on the situation. It was a start.

The pain of his burns was still sharp, barely tolerable. That was another good sign. Pain meds would only slow him down and dull his mind- Fury must have made sure they didn't give him any. Soon Tony and Bruce were also standing over him, making Clint want to get moving more than ever.

"Listen, guys, I appreciate the help. But we have a small window here and it's closing fast. I can't do a whole lot laying around tanning. Just tell Fury that I take full responsibility if I kill myself in the process, okay?"

"You can tell me yourself," Fury said as he crossed the deck to where the Avengers were gathered. Reaching down, he took Clint's hand and pulled the agent to his feet. The news that Barton had been shot, so close to the death of Agent Coulson, had made Fury ready for action. He knew that getting Natasha back was imperative. Not only would losing her be a huge detriment to SHIELD, but more importantly there was no Hawkeye without the Black Widow. Clint was too close to his partner to go on without her, let alone fight against her.

Clint nodded his thanks to his supervisor. Fury was one of the few men he had no trouble working under. Sure, he was a hard ass most of the time, but he always knew more than he let on and was willing to let his agents make their own decisions. No one else would have tolerated the antics that Clint and Natasha were known for, but Fury knew that the job would be done in the end.

"So what do we know?" Fury asked.

Everyone looked to Clint. They were all there on his word- no one else had seen a thing.

"Sir, when Agent Romanoff lost communication, I came to her last known location to find her. There was a machine on board this ship that essentially blocked technology. We were attempting to turn off the machine, but were ambushed. A team of Russian agents, led by Dr. Z. He invented the machine, produced weaponry that could work inside it's field- we were screwed from the start. He wanted Romanoff back- she agreed to go quietly to save me. They took her and the machine, then Dr. Z shot me for good measure. I know they took a sub, but other than that I have nothing to go on until Nat sends a signal."

Clint waited for Fury to respond. They didn't have a damn thing. Dr. Z was a paranoid genius with no conscience- there was a reason he had never been captured before. The man knew how to cover his tracks. Not even Natasha could tell them where the training bases were that she was raised in, because the Doctor kept everyone in the dark. After what seemed like an eternity, Fury finally nodded.

"Good. We can't track the machine while it's beneath the surface of the water, but eventually that sub will come up for air. Dr. Banner, you have the readings that Mr. Stark's suit recorded earlier?"

"I do," Bruce replied.

"Well that's where we'll start. Isolate the gamma signal and see how unique it is. If we're lucky, we'll know which part of the world they're in and we can take it from there. Agent Barton and Captain Rogers, you'll join me in the Quinjet. If Agent Romanoff is going to give us some sort of sign, we'll need to monitor communications carefully from here on out. Let's get to work!"

As they began to separate, Clint put a hand on Tony's shoulder to stop him. The jokester, pain in the ass, cartoon-loving playboy just gave him his only hope. There really weren't words to tell him what that meant, but Clint needed Tony to know how much he appreciated having him on the team. Before he could think of the words, Tony spoke for him.

"You can thank me when we have her back, Barton."

"Natalia, I'm sure I do not need to tell you how to act in public. Yet after all your time with the Americans, perhaps your manners need brushing up. I have sent three of my men ahead. They will be at various points in the train station. If they do not see us reach each checkpoint in time, they will kill a child. As long as you are on your best behavior, no one will be hurt. Do you understand?"

Natasha nodded. She understood all too well. She had been one of those agents on many occasions; sitting in a public place, fully prepared to take an innocent life if the plan didn't stick to schedule. That meant no delays, no side trips, no diversions. A trip to the bathroom was about all she could afford in terms of time. But she couldn't exactly send Clint a message by flushing it down the toilet.

By the time they were docked and ready to leave, Natasha had changed into civilian clothing and tucked her hair into a hat. She felt vulnerable and silly in the sun dress and sandals- just another mind game by Dr. Z. In this outfit she would have a hard time running or fighting. She did manage to transfer the marker from her boot to her hat, where it was tucked in her ponytail.

Like on any mission, Natasha had heightened sensory awareness as she followed her fellow Russians into the train station. The crowded space, full of noises and movement, made her fingers itch for the cool assurance of a gun. They were moving at a fast pace, going directly through the crowd. She was sure they already had their tickets purchased for the train, so there was no subtle way to determine their destination.

Leave a breadcrumb... give him a trail to follow. The only thing Natasha could think to do was to look up. As they moved she looked directly into each and every security camera she could find. If Clint knew where to look, he'd be able to spot her in the crowd. Based on the signs and travel times, Natasha was sure they were in Canada. But how would SHIELD know to look here?

Suddenly, finally, Natasha had an idea. It wasn't a good idea- hell, it was downright stupid. But it would probably get enough attention that her partner would recognize her signature all over it. There was nothing she liked better than having a mission, even if it was a reckless one. Actually, she liked that kind the best.

"Doctor?" Natasha kept her voice soft as she walked alongside her creator. Even this man could be played in some ways. He loved to think of Natasha as a young girl, as she was when she first entered the Black Widow program. She realized over the years that exuding a childlike innocence often got her favors that Dr. Z would not have normally allowed. And right now she needed all the help she could get. He didn't change his pace, but nodded that he was listening.

"Doctor, I don't want you to think I'm causing trouble, but would it be horribly inconvenient if I went to the bathroom before we board the train? I won't take long at all, I promise."

Hook, line, and sinker. She hated that saying, but Clint always said it in her ear when she charmed her mark, and it was his voice she heard now. What she wouldn't give to be able to talk to him now, just for a moment, to know they were on the same page. Dr. Z smiled at her in that grandfatherly way that made Natasha's skin crawl before he answered.

"Of course, Natalia. You are not a prisoner here- I just want you to be happy."

Not a prisoner. Of course not, she only had four Russian agents escort her to the ladies room with a promise that they would start shooting if she wasn't out in five minutes. Natasha couldn't stop a smile from coming to her lips. Five minutes was more than enough time to write a carefully worded note on a paper towel and tuck it into the supply closet where the wording could easily be seen. According to the chart on the door, the bathroom would be cleaned again in 45 minutes. That was just enough time for them to leave the station, but not such a large window that Clint couldn't catch up. Now she just had to hope he wasn't so badly injured that he was lying on a hospital bed instead of monitoring communications.

"Here goes everything."

Oh hey guys! As usual, life has rudely gotten in the way of writing. I hate how that happens. My line of work has a tendency to follow you home and pant in your face when you're on the computer instead of throwing a ball... if you catch my drift. Not exactly a 9-5 kind of deal.

Aaaaanyways- how are you liking the story? too slow? Things will get much more exciting in the next chapter, just you wait!