CHAPTER #6

Due to the weapons and gear they had to take with them, S.H.E.I.L.D. would be flying them into Thailand. But they would be dropped into the ocean near Ko Kaeo Yai Kau Kew Island at night. Once ashore Hawkeye and Black Widow would take a local boat to the main land. They'd set up in some rat hole and begin working. Enough money would pay for the secrecy they wanted, if a local discovered them.

"Wake up you two, we are thirty minutes from the island," the pilot said to his passengers.

Clint was instantly awake, "we're ready. Gear is ready."

It was an overcast sky, perfect for a stealthy arrival. They looked like a pair of special ops navy seals and their drop was just as skilled. The gear was in sealed containers that floated behind them, as they swam towards the island. Hawkeye surfaced first, scanning their surroundings to see if anyone heard them splash into the ocean. No one was around and nothing stirred. He took off his tank and put the gear in a fisherman's boat. They'd have to row over to the mainland, but that was okay, as motors made to much noise.

"Hawkeye help me with the tank, it's stuck on something," Natasha whispered.

He did as she asked and then put the tank into the boat, helping her in. He pushed the boat off the shore and they began to row for the main land. The water was calm and they sliced through it quickly. As they neared the shore close to Rawai, there was a small inlet on the southern most peak, that allowed them to pull the boat on to shore. The trees grew right up to the rocks, providing perfect cover. From the satellite images they'd seen earlier, there was a road just inland from where they were. A few scattered houses on either side, before the main road which was Hwy 4233. Once in the cover of the trees, they took out their gear from the cases. They'd have to carry everything, but they had backpacks to do so. Wetsuits were removed, put away and replaced with their normal agent uniforms. On top of that they wore street clothing and the backpacks. Tourists is what they'd look like. The containers and scuba gear they buried in under the sand and forest debris, then turned on the trackers. S.H.I.E.L.D. would later send agents to retrieve it all.

"Ready to hike out of here and get to Phuket?" Clint asked.

Natasha nodded, "lead the way."

They trekked out, making good time. The sun had not even crested the horizon. They walked along the Hwy eager to get into town. One beat up pickup truck pulled over and they got in the truck bed, hitching a ride. The truck only went half way up the coast. So they had to walk again before another person gave them a lift. Finally they reached the outskirts of Phuket. The driver tried to tell them that Phuket was a dangerous area for tourists, they nodded, thanked him and gave him some baht. Into the city they went. The sun was just coming out, little children poured out into the street, yelling at each other and staring at them. The houses were a clutter of boards with tin roofs. Down one street, they found a Tuk Tuk.

The driver knew a little broken english. Natasha spoke a little Thai and english. The driver nodded that he understood. He took them deep into the slums of Phuket city. Then stopped beside a two storey concrete building, that had no windows. The Tuk Tuk driver explained that this place for the right money no one asked questions and didn't care what happened, as long as they were paid. Natasha negotiated a price with a man who came outside. Then paid the Tuk Tuk driver well.

"Tell him to come back tonight around six to give us a tour," Clint said.

Natasha relayed the information and the driver nodded, then left. The other man, lead them up a set of dirty stairs and to a room. In the room there was one dirty cot, a toilet with no seat, a lamp and a chair. This room had a door that locked and they paid handsomely for it. The man nodded and left.

"It's not the Ritz, but it will do."

Natasha took off her pack and took out four little devices. These she locked onto the four corners of the glassless window. With the small lap top she had, she activated them creating a grid. If someone put a hand or anything through the empty air, the grid gave a silent alarm and would give them a painful electric zap.

"Remind me later that you have it activated. I don't feel like burning my arm hair off today," Clint joked.

He took out his small modified bow and the arrows that went with it, to make sure that they hadn't been damaged in transport. They both did this with all their gear. Once done, they put the gear away. Four more devices were activated in a corner, to reflect the other wall, cloaking the gear. If someone was quickly looking into the room to steal things, they would see nothing and move on. They had their knives strapped to them under their plain cloths. Then as the street got busier, they left the room. Natasha carried their money. She followed Hawkeye to the roof and they got the layout of the city.

"To the northwest of us, are some industrial buildings with some big smoke stacks. If I were testing on humans and wanted to dispose of them without anyone knowing, I'd cremate them," Natasha said.

Clint nodded in agreement. "It's as good as any place to start."

They went back down to street level and began walking towards the direction of the industrial area. As they walked, their senses were on red alert for pick pockets and any other local threat. A few people tried to sell them trinkets, but when Natasha said they had no money in Thai, they were left alone. The first building they checked, showed nothing unusual. Hawkeye went on the roof top and scanned the area. A block ahead, was another potential building. He stayed above and Natasha went to investigate at street level. Again they found nothing. Hawkeye made contact with Fury, using their communication headset. But there was still no word of where the scientist was, only that his last know location was exactly in the area they were in. It wasn't until late afternoon that they found three industrial buildings that could be their targets. They were locked tight, not even Natasha's lock picking skills could get them entry. The smoke stacks had fresh residue and a black SUV was parked outside of one of them.

"We'll come back tonight for some surveillance work on these three buildings," Clint said to Natasha.

She replied, "I'll ask the Tuk Tuk driver if he's heard about any foreigners around here, when he picks us up tonight."

"Are you hungry enough to try the local food?" Clint asked.

"Sure why not. Come down and let's hitch a ride to the food district."

Hawkeye jumped to a building beside the one he was on, then slid down a pipe that ran along the side of it. His feet hit the ground, before Natasha finished speaking. He flashed her a cocky grin and they continued walking down the block.

"There's a lot of gang tags around here," she observed.

He nodded, "we're being watched. One on the roof of the building on your right. And two are hiding behind that pile of garbage we just passed."

"Nice, a little work out before lunch sounds like fun," she said rotating her shoulders.

He flashed her a grin, "the two behind us are moving forward, but do nothing unless they engage us. The one on the roof has a gun. I'll take him out, while you handle the two behind us." Then as an after thought he added, "don't kill anyone. We don't need to start a gang war."

She laughed and used her body to hide Hawkeye slipping his mini bow and an arrow out from under his shirt. The arrow head was taser equipped, enough to stop but not kill the target. As the two behind them tried to grab Natasha, she kicked one in the head and the other received a fist in his face. The guy on the roof then became visible and Hawkeye let his arrow fly. The gunman hit the roof like a sack of potatoes. As their attackers found out these two tourists knew how to fight, more of them appeared. The guys ranged in age from 18 to 25 years old. Some held bats, others knives or chains. Black Widow and Hawkeye stood back to back, disposing of their attackers as they came in closer. Even though neither of them used unnecessary force, the ones they defeated lay groaning in pain on the ground. In ten minutes more than half of the gang had been disabled.

Natasha called out in Thai, "where's your leader?"

"On the roof bitch," was the reply.

She looked at Hawkeye, "you took him down didn't you?"

"It'll wear off in thirty minutes, these are the smaller ones."

"Your leader is unconscious on that roof. No one needs to get hurt any further. Let's talk," she said in Thai.

The one who had spoken to her spit at her. So she gave him a flying knee to the face and an elbow down on his head. He was out cold and bleeding on the pavement. The remaining gang members looked at each other then dropped their weapons and held up their hands. One asked if they were the police and she said they were not. Next she was asked who they were. She explained they could be friends or enemies, the choice was up to the gang. The gang wisely chose to be friends. Hawkeye sent two people to get their leader.

"Tell them we are taking this one with us. To wait for his return later tonight. They are to speak to no one or we come back and won't be as nice as this time." Clint waited for Natasha to translate.

They nodded and then returned to where they had come from. Clint picked up the leader and tossed him over his shoulder. "Let's go get lunch, I'm hungry now."

Eventually they got a ride to a local restaurant. Hawkeye propped the unconscious young man in a chair, tying his legs to the chair. Then they ordered their food. Natasha had Tom Yum Goong which was a spicy shrimp soup. Hawkeye had Pad Thai. Then they shared Khao Pad with Kai Med Muang (fried rice paired with chicken and cashew nuts). When the young guy woke up, he struggled a moment and gave up. He looked at them with fear in his eyes.

Natasha ordered another plate of Kai Med Muang for him and told him to eat. Then as the guy did so, she explained that his gang decided they wanted to be friends. Next they asked him if he could find them two Honda XR 250 Baja motorcycles for around 2000 baht. The guy, who's name was Niran, nodded that he could. Eventually they grilled him about the three buildings and if anyone unusual had been around there. Niran said that some white foreigners had come once a week ago, with some big trucks to unload equipment, but haven't come back since. There have been lights on at night in the buildings, but it's quiet during the day. Men with military guns had threatened his gang to stay away.

Clint said under his breath, "sounds like Russians."

Natasha asked, "Niran can you get the bikes by tonight?"

The Thai native thought about it a moment and then slowly nodded. He said he needed half the money up front. Natasha looked at Hawkeye who nodded, as he'd already put a tracking device on Niran earlier. She gave Niran the money and told him to meet them at this same location tonight around 10 pm. They then let him go. He ran, but turned around and waved, before going around the corner.

"It could be what we've been looking for, or just the body disposal location," Clint said pushing away the remains of his lunch.

"Do you want me to come with you tonight?" Natasha asked.

"No that's fine. I got a lot of sleep on the flight over here. You see what you can find out from the locals." Clint winked at her and then paid their bill with the baht he carried.

After they left the restaurant, Hawkeye and his partner continued their search for suitable buildings. No one else gave them trouble, other than a few pick pockets that left empty handed. As evening approached, Natasha purchased some blankets, as she didn't want to sleep on the cot. Hawkeye rolled his eyes, but he didn't like bed bugs either. They returned to their room and she checked to see if the sensors over their gear and the window had been touched. The window showed on the computer a minute of disturbance. Hawkeye waited until she turned off the grid and then stepped out on the balcony. He found a dead bird and tossed it over the side.

"Just a bird, everything is clear." Clint reported walking back into the room.

He went into his pack, got out his full sized bow and quiver. His bow could fold down and he attached that to his back also. Then he put a jacket on over top, so it would conceal it all. He watched Natasha strap on her knives, her Widow's bite and her guns. She put on tear away track pants.

"Ready to go have diner and meet Niran?" Clint asked.

"One second, just have to re-engage our so called room security," she said.

The rest of the night went as planned. The Tuk Tuk driver returned at 6 pm and took them around the town, then dropped them at the restaurant where they would meet Niran. They had diner and nursed a drink until Niran arrived with the two motorbikes. They bought him and his second in command named Sunan, diner. They talked about the gang keeping an eye on the buildings during the day and to report to Hawkeye the next night. A fee was negotiated and then the guys left.

"I'm off to do the night watch, see you in the morning." Clint said before riding off.

She watched him leave, then got on her motorbike and rode off. She toured around the city and even road over to Pa Tong. This city had a lot more violence in the streets. She witnessed a mugging and a stabbing, before riding again back to where they were staying. With a lock from her pack, she secured the bike to a concrete pole outside their building. She flirted with the man who owned the building and then a few of his friends, manipulating information out of them. He had the police paid off, so no one would come to his building even if it burnt to the ground. Finally she went back upstairs. What she would do for a shower, but she wouldn't even consider that in this little hell hole. She stood on the balcony after disengaging the grid and used her headset to contact Hawkeye.

"Clint can you hear me?" She asked.

"Depends on what you want," came his reply.

She rolled her eyes, "smart-ass. Nothing really is known by the locals. This building we're staying at is overlooked by the local law. We could murder everyone in it and they wouldn't care."

Clint chuckled, "getting bored are we?"

"This place isn't Bangkok," she sighed.

"Hey, it's just as boring here. The only thing I have seen is a stray cat. Patience Nat. We just got here."

"Alright, I guess I'll try and nap. Good night."

"See you in the morning." After Clint stopped talking, he walked to the edge of the building and glanced in the alley way. He'd heard a sound and went to see what it was.

A black van was parked by the back door. Two men unloaded what looked like five body bags and then closed the van. One man left in the van, the other disappeared inside. Shortly after, the smoke began to rise. Whether it was related to their assignment or not. Hawkeye's interest was captured. He had a feeling that the van would return and he was right. The unloading process happened four times, which was around twenty or so body bags. A tracker arrow head became attached to the bumper of the van, the shaft fell off in the alley. After the last trip was made, the smoke stopped and both men left in the van.

"We have contact. Is the tracer showing up?" Clint asked, knowing Natasha still wore the headset, even if she was quiet.

"Give me a minute…. Yes it's showing. I'll swing by, you can then follow."

She leaped into action, attached the hand held gps tracker to her wrist and raced off on the motorbike. When she got near to where Hawkeye was, she flashed her headlight at him and he rode beside her.

Above the wind noise she said, "it's heading north."

He nodded. The paved road ended and they tracked it east. The dirt bikes had no problem on the less travelled road.

"It stopped. It should be just ahead of us. Let's pull into the trees and go in on foot," Natasha said slowing her bike down.

Hawkeye followed her lead. Then got his bow ready and they advanced forward through the trees and darkness. He saw the two men get into a go-fast boat driven by a third man. Hawkeye went closer and as the boat pulled away from shore, he sent another tracker arrow head onto the boat's side. The shaft fell off into the water and the crashing waves took it away.

"I hope that stays on," Natasha said.

He smiled. "It's just under the lip of the railing, so it should." Once the boat was racing out to the ocean, he went and removed the tracer on the bumper of the van. "If this is their body drop location, where is the base?"

"I'll contact Fury when we get back to our room. See if he wants us to stay here or follow the new lead."

Clint got on his machine again and started it up, "race you back!" He didn't wait for a reply, he pulled a U-turn spraying up gravel and raced back the way they had come. A glance in a side mirror, showed she was hot on his tail.

CHAPTER #7

Back on the airship, Nick Fury used their system to trace the movement of the speed boat. He wasn't convinced that after just one day in Thailand, that his agents had made contact. The boat seemed to be stationary in Ho Chi Minh City. He wanted to see it make another trip back to Phuket, before he sent Black Widow and Hawkeye after it. So far this was their only lead. He gave instructions to Hawkeye to keep watching the buildings at night. Black Widow was assigned to monitor where the boat was landing. They needed to get a definite ID that it was either Russians or HYDRA disposing of bodies. And secondly they needed to confirm that it really was bodies in those bags.

The next three weeks kept Hawkeye and Natasha busy. Their alliance with Niran's gang helped them finally break into the building where the smoke came out of every night. They were able to prove that it was bodies going into the furnace. But they still couldn't confirm that it was HYDRA behind it. Natasha did discover that the man driving the speedboat was Russian, after overhearing him grumbling in his native tongue, about running out of cigarettes. Still Fury wanted them to get closer. It was the fourth week doing surveillance, when Natasha accidentally got discovered. Her training kept her from being killed, but she did end up getting a tranquilizer dart in her neck. Hawkeye didn't know that this had happened, but when he saw the body the two men were unloading from the van, he didn't hesitate. The two arrows that he sent into the men, killed them instantly. All three bodies fell. He got down to street level in seconds. His heart was in his throat as he checked Natasha's neck for a pulse. Relief flooded his whole body, when he felt a strong beat. He propped her on the side of the building and looked for blood. He saw none and knew she hadn't been shot by a bullet. The mark on her neck made him realize she was tranquilized by a dart. Next he checked the bodies of the two men and found the HYDRA tattoos on their wrists. Using their trolly, he took the two bodies to the furnace and dumped them in. The van with the other bodies he drove a few blocks away, to a building that he knew would be active in the morning. The local police could deal with it then. When he finally returned to Natasha, she was awake, but acting like she was drunk.

"That's some tranquilizer. Do you think you can ride?" Clint asked her.

"Who am I riding?" She slurred in response.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, you'll ride with me. Even if I have to tie your arms around my waist."

She gave him a super sultry smile and asked, "I'm riding you?"

He laughed, "maybe another time. Come on let's get you back to the room." He picked her up and began carrying her towards his motorbike.

She began kissing his neck and trying to take his cloths off. If it was a different circumstance and she wasn't drugged, then he would have enjoyed the attention completely. But for now it was a little annoying. At last they got to the bike. He put the helmet on her, started the bike and thankfully she got on behind him without too much trouble. Her hands had a mind of their own. One hand stayed wrapped around his waist, while her legs gripped the bike. Her other hand she was slowly moving up his thigh. It took all his will power, not to let his body respond to her touch. He rode faster and thankfully they arrived back at their building. He secured the bike and then once again carried Natasha up the stairs to their room. He unlocked the door and set her on the ground. After re-locking it, he sighed with relief. Before he could take care of his partner, he had to report the night's events to Nick Fury.

"Agent Barton, you say that you got definite ID that the men are from HYDRA?"

Clint answered, "yes sir, their insignia was tattooed on the inside of their wrists. They're ash now."

"You and agent Romanoff can proceed to Ho Chi Minh City. The cove where you left the scuba tanks, will have a go-fast boat waiting for you around noon."

"Understood sir."

"And agent Barton, no more dead bodies. We can't afford to have HYDRA finding out that we are on to them."

"Yes sir," Clint sighed. He took out his ear piece and looked around. Natasha was doing a strip tease for him. "Awe Nat, don't do that. Come here."

She stumbled to him and practically fell into his arms. She was already beginning to return to normal mental awareness, but she wanted to see what he'd do. "Kiss me Clint!"

Finally he gave in and he dipped his head and kissed her full lips. His mouth opened, as did hers. Their tongues caressed each other. But just when she was really letting herself respond, he stopped.

"Not like this Natasha." He helped her down on to the blankets she had on the floor. Then held her up against his chest so he could help her drink some bottled water.

A part of Natasha wanted to keep kissing Clint, but the other part was falling asleep. Her eyes grew heavy and she passed out. Her head rested on his chest and her body slumped.

"I've got you, just sleep it off." Clint sighed.

When he was sure she was okay, he put her down on the ground. Took off his quiver and put away his bow. Then he lay down beside his partner. She shifted so that her head lay cradled in between his chest and arm. He watched her sleep and grinned. If she remembered any of it in the morning, he'd tease her about it for a few days. When she rolled over on to her side, he did the same. They slept back to back.

Hawkeye only slept a four hours, then he woke up. He checked on Natasha and then took the dirt bike to look for their Tuk Tuk driver. He made arrangements for the driver to pick them up around 11 am. Next he went to find Niran. The gang leader told him the police found the van and bodies. An investigation in the area was being conducted. Next he told Niran where to find the second motorbike. This one he was riding they could take now, as long as they got him a Tuk Tuk to go to the restaurant with. When he got to the restaurant, he got breakfast to go and then returned to their building. Opening the door, he saw that Natasha was awake, but had a bad headache.

"Have some coffee and breakfast. I already ate," Clint said handing over what he was carrying.

She took what he offered, "thank you. My head is killing me."

Taking pity on her he explained some of what had happened the previous night. He told her she'd been tranquilized but left out the part about her coming on to him. He also advised about their departure in an hour.

"I hope we can get a nice room this time. Showering regularly, instead of bathing in the ocean, will be a relief," she said. When his back was to her, she added, "thanks for taking care of me last night."

Clint turned around, "you've done it for me in the past. I owed you."

She began to eat, as he packed up their gear. He let her disable and remove the grid on the window. Then when the Tuk Tuk driver arrived, they went down stairs. The driver took them almost all the way back to the start point of their Thailand operation. But he wouldn't go off the main road, so they had to hike back to the shore. As they came out of the forest, they saw the go-fast boat waiting. It had S.H.E.I.L.D. written on it's side and the logo on it. The agent that would drive the boat, was one that Natasha had worked with on the airship, in the past.

"Agent Spencer," Natasha greeted him.

"Agent Romanoff, agent Barton. Down below deck you can replace and fix your gear. There's a packet with your hotel information and the spending allowance."

Clint nodded, "thank you agent Spencer."

Both Hawkeye and Black Widow went below deck. Soon the next phase of their operation would begin. She cleaned her weapons and replaced the amo in her clips. He put new tips on his arrows and replaced the ones that were missing. Then they reviewed the information packet together.

"I'm just glad to be able to shower again. What about you?" Natasha asked.

"A shower sounds good and then a beer," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes and then followed him topside. They sat down in the seats behind agent Spencer and enjoyed the ride to their next location.