CHAPTER #10

It was race day, so they checked out of the hotel. Then returned the car and took a Tuk Tuk to the marina. Agent Barton went over the boat to make sure it hadn't been tampered with. They put their pack down in the cabin that was in the hull of the boat. They had the whole day to kill, before race time. A local restaurant is where they sat, eating and having a few drinks.

Natasha said, "I had the nightmare again. But it wasn't as bad as it usually is."

Clint nodded, "I know. You talked a little in your sleep and I talked to you, letting you know I was still there and that you were safe. You're dream seemed to pass, as your breathing went back to normal."

"So maybe you're right, talking about it maybe helped," she admitted reluctantly. "It's just really hard to. All my training says I shouldn't."

Clint looked her right in the eyes and said, "like you told me once; our training doesn't cover dealing with monsters."

She frowned at him and threw an ice cube at him, which he easily caught and dumped into his glass. That just made her roll her eyes. "What about you? Any secrets you want to tell me?"

There was one secret he had that he would like to tell her, but she wasn't ready to hear it. So he shared something else, "when Loki had my mind under his control, it horrifies me now how easy it was for him to tap into the violence within. The things that I thought of doing…. it just scares me that I have that in my mind."

"I think you, the Captain and I have that in common. Our humanity is what keeps a leash on the true violence that we are all capable of…. One could even argue that is the same for Banner," Natasha analysed.

"We are who we are. And because of people like Loki, or the guy in your nightmare, we work for an agency that tries to protect the world from what we've had to go through. Lesser people would break, but we're survivors who get up and fight back."

She nodded in agreement. They watched people come in and out of the restaurant. Each of them had another drink. "I hate waiting," Natasha sighed.

"We could go to the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre or some other show," Clint suggested.

"Seriously?"

"Why not? Vietnamese culture has some amazing acrobatics, dance and kung-fu. We've got a lot of time and we've been ordered not to seek out those big white guys from last night."

Natasha remembered that agent Barton use to be in the circus. Her guess was that sometimes he missed it. "I don't think I can sit still that long. But maybe going to a martial arts class or something?"

"Sure that will kill some time. You ask the bartender if he knows where we should go, when you pay the tab." Clint said handing her some cash.

She got up and went to the bar. Then shortly returned with some information. "He said we should check out Vovinam in District 10."

"What's Vovinam?" Clint asked.

"It's a little of everything. There are kicks from Tae Kwan Do, grapples from Hop Kido, throws from Judo and they also train with weapons. The gym has boxing too," she explained.

"Alright let's go. And Natasha, make sure you don't hurt anyone. We don't want to disrespect them," he cautioned.

She gave him a look that said he should just shut up and get a Tuk Tuk. He flashed her a grin and got them a ride. When they arrive, they paid the front desk and were each given a blue gi. They changed and then met in the main gym. Both bowed deeply to the master that was training his students. Barton and Romanoff watched the session, finding that they limited using elbows and certain kicks. When training was over, the master gave a demonstration and then invited them to participate.

Barton bowed to his competitor and then they advanced. It was a slower tempo than a true fight, which meant the master was gauging his skill level. The master clapped his hands and that's when the match truly began. Both agent Romanoff and the Captain had worked with Barton to improve his combat skills. He held his own against his opponent, but the master stepped in and stopped it. Then he showed Barton a few moves with his student. The student replicated the moves with Barton so he understood. Then they went at it again. Barton was quick to learn.

Next it was Romanoff's turn. She too bowed low and then went into her stance. Heeding Barton's warning, she didn't use the full extent of her skill. Yet she continued to dominate her opponent. The master saw this immediately. He himself bowed to her and then in vietnamese, told her not to restrain herself. He wanted her to use her full ability with him. She nodded and he advanced. Being a master of his martial art, he dominated the first two rounds. His students cheered, but he ignored them. He understood she was highly skilled and any mistake he made, she would capitalize on it. The third round went to Romanoff. The master smiled and bowed, ending the session.

"Wow, he's good." Natasha said, accepting a bottle of water from Barton.

"I could see that. Had fun did you?" Clint asked.

"Fun and I learned a few things myself. I'm glad we did this and came here. How about you?" She asked.

"It as great watching you fight, without being on the receiving end of it. I learned a few things, but true skill takes practice. We should do a cool down exercise though," Clint added.

She led them through some moves, that were more like a tai-chi dance. This helped cool down their muscles properly, while helping them get centred and relaxed. When they were done, they showered and changed. On the way out, she thanked the master and he praised her. She wore a smile as they left, which Barton was glad to see.

After that workout, they went to a day spa called Spa Tropic. Both got a therapeutic massage that included deep-tissue. They were getting spoiled on this assignment. The rest of the day they did what all the other tourists did. They went to the botanical garden and zoo, to just walked around and kill time. As the sun began to set they returned to where the boat was and the restaurant.

Clint checked his cell and saw that Long had sent him a text. "Okay, let's get going. I was just sent the directions to the marina, where the other boats are waiting for the race."

Natasha went below and changed into her agent uniform, but didn't accessorize with her weapons. "You're turn."

Barton did the same, but he did bring up a dart gun that included tracking device slugs. If they saw the boat they were looking for, Natasha could shoot a tracker at the boat. It would attach easier than an arrow. She put it in a lock box that was by the control panel of the boat. Barton drove the boat up the main channel to the private marina. Two other go-fast boats were already moored there, when they arrived.

Clint called out, "Long where do you want us to moor?"

"Beside the yellow boat, or you can just drop anchor anywhere."

They tied off their lines beside the yellow go-fast boat and went up on the deck, carrying their racing helmets. Barton shook hands with the other two racers and Long. They were given drinks and chatted with the people waiting for the race. The other boats arrived and the rules were laid out. They would start out on the water, Long would fire a flare to show the start of the race. His friends were strategically placed along the course in their boats, so they could call in the positions of racers to the awaiting crowd. Everyone got into their boats and pulled out of the marina.

"When we get underway, probably as we head out of the channel into the ocean, watch for any boats that are joining the race late." Clint instructed Natasha, as he drove the boat out into the channel.

They put on their helmets, as the boats lined up for the start of the race. The helmets allowed them to communicate with each other over the sound of the roaring engines. The flare went off and the racers gave throttle to their boats. The line surged forward and two of the boats in the race, took an early lead. Out of the 8 boats, Barton kept them around 4th, staying wide of the wake from the first three boats. They thundered down the channel and out into the ocean. The boat running in third place, began to drop back, as they tackled the big waves. At one point it looked like that boat was mostly in the air and would tip over, but the driver was skilled. The boats fanned out in V formation, so that they didn't get so much wake from the lead boats. The ocean was rough, causing agent Romanoff to hold on to her seat with a death grip, as a wave launched them into the air. They slammed down and roared onward.

"Anyone joining the race late?" Clint semi-yelled to be heard.

"Two boats, but one looks like it is just a spectator of the race. The other is moving up in the pack. It's too far away to see if it's the same boat. Slow down a little." Natasha replied, glancing over her shoulder.

Barton eased off on the throttle and crossed into the wake, making it look like he was going to try another route, to overtake the position three boat. Eventually that caused them to slow down further, as fifth and sixth runners drew abreast of them. The wake in between was crazy. So He backed off and went wide again. This put him right beside the late race joiner.

"That's the same boat, I'm almost positive. How are we going to get close enough to fire a tracker on to it, without being noticed?" Natasha asked loudly.

"I'll drop further back, then go behind and up his other side, as that will put me on the outside of all this wake. As we begin to speed up alongside again, if the boat jumps out of the water, shoot close to the back of the boat at the bottom. Once that's done, let me know." Clint said, while trying to keep the boat steady.

The water that sprayed up behind the fifth place boat, sprayed them. But that was nothing compared to the wave that crashed over the nose of the boat when they landed from another wave jump. Finally agent Romanoff saw her chance, she lined up the shot and fired. First shot found it's mark, since the boat she was aiming at was launched completely out of the water by a big wave.

"Okay it's done, hopefully it stays on." She advised.

Clint answered, "if it's going to come off, we'll know pretty quickly. Hold on here comes a big wave."

They jumped into the air and he kept it steady when they landed. The boat beside them, came down hard and wobbled as the driver tried to regain control. Natasha checked the gps tracker and it's signal was strong. Since it had just survived that landing, she knew the tracker wasn't coming off anytime soon.

"Okay, tracker is good. Let's win this race!" She yelled.

They were on the outside in 6th place, when Barton gave more throttle. The S.H.E.I.L.D. go-fast boat was well designed and powered through the waves. They quickly over took the back running boats, putting them in third. As they neared the Spratly Islands and went around the marker boat, the sprint back home to finish began. Barton was timing when he was going to unleash the true beast within the boat's engines. It wasn't until they saw the mouth of the channel, that he opened her up completely. The fuel mixture was adjusted and their boat screamed up alongside the front runner. They jockeyed for position through the channel, the finish in sight. The red boat beside them began to fall back just slightly. But that's all it took for Barton to push past and take the lead. They crossed the finish line and began to slow down and circle back to the marina. Adrenaline was still coursing through his body and he picked agent Romanoff up and spun in a circle.

"Put me down!" Natasha protested, with little effort.

"We won! That was awesome," Clint said.

They pulled up to the dock and Natasha tossed the moor line to a guy waiting for it. Once tied off, the engine cut, helmets off, they got out of the boat to receive congratulations. The winnings was just icing on the cake. Barton shook hands with the drivers of the red boat.

Long came up and gave him the winnings. "As agreed, I already took a 10% cut from the prize money. Well done!"

"It was looking rough for us mid way, got caught in some rough wake. After the turn by the islands, we made our come back," Clint explained.

Natasha hugged Long, "that just made our whole trip."

Long enjoyed her attention and invited them to the after party. She agreed, saying she was just going to change into shorts. Barton and her went into the hull cabin and did just that. They reported in to agent Hill and checked that the gps tracker was still active. Once the darkest part of the night arrived, they would leave the party and go seek out the tagged boat.

CHAPTER #11

The gps tracker showed that the beacon was stationary. The strange thing was that when agent Romanoff and agent Barton got near the area in the Spratly Islands, they didn't see the boat. According to the gps, they should be right beside it.

"We could be over it. They either found the tracker and threw it over board, or sunk the boat," Natasha suggested.

"Only one way to find out. I'm going in," Clint said.

Natasha looked at him like he was crazy. "It's pitch black in the ocean, how are you going to see anything?"

"Alright I will wait until morning. We'll pull close to shore of one of these islands and set anchor, until it gets light."

He drove the boat towards the closest island, using the depth finder to prevent running into rocks. Once the anchor was set, Barton turned off the boat. Since the boat itself was flat black, it blended well with the shore line. No one would be able to see them, if they used no lights.

"I'll take first watch, you try to get some rest," Natasha offered.

He nodded and carefully went below. It would be about four hours until sunrise, he only needed two or three hours to recharge himself. The rocking of the boat in the waves, put him to sleep quickly. Above on deck, Natasha looked up at the stars, they were so different from the ones over North America. Yet these stars were just as beautiful. A few shooting stars danced across the sky for her and like the child she never got to be, she made a few wishes on them. The ocean was calm and the night quiet, it was as relaxing as it could be. They were closing in on their target. Even if the tracker or boat was sunk, like she expected, somewhere on these clustered islands was what they were looking for. She had a strange feeling that not only would they find the missing scientist, but the research facility that was testing on human subjects.

When Barton woke up, the sun had not yet begun its ascent. He had slept like the dead for two and a half hours and felt completely energized. He dug in his pack for an energy bar for breakfast, then went above.

"You're turn Natasha. You should get at least two, maybe three hours of sleep in before sunrise," Clint said looking towards the horizon.

"It's beautiful out here, the calm before the shit storm we're going to unleash."

He nodded and watched her go below. Then he relieved himself over the side of the boat, before sitting back to admire the sky. Time seemed to stand still, but at the same time sped by so quickly. The sun began to breach the skyline, it was time to get the boat to the dive site. He brought up the anchor and then started the engines. As quietly as he could he took the boat to the gps location from earlier. The sound still seemed tremendously loud, in the still morning. Agent Romanoff came up from below, carrying his flippers and mask. He went below to change into the wetsuit and haul up the scuba tanks. He also handed her an energy bar, which she accepted. Together they got him ready and he fell backward overboard. She would keep the boat from drifting too far. It seemed to her that agent Barton was gone forever, only a few bubbles broke the surface, letting her know where his location was.

In the ocean, agent Barton found the boat. It had a hole in the side of the hull, which clearly was from a man made blast. The boat had been sunk intentionally. He checked it out, but nothing was left behind to leave a clue of it's owners. He retrieved the tracking device and then began to return to the surface of the ocean. He located the boat and waited for agent Romanoff to get close enough for him to get back on board.

"They sunk the boat. We'll have to check out each island, or wait to see if any go-fast boats head back towards Thailand or Ho Chi Minh," Clint reported.

"I'll call in to Fury, maybe they can get satellite or some areal views of these islands to narrow down the search."

He took off his gear and dried off, before going below to change. By the time he came back up, she was done talking to Fury. "He will send the satellite images to the laptop. If they are not clear enough, he'll send a jet that can be cloaked, to get closer visuals."

"Good idea, we don't want to alert our target that we are looking for them." Clint said towelling his hair dry.

The satellite images showed that they were among a cluster of islands, some were just a bunch of rocks and bush or sand. The bigger islands held buildings and a few even had airstrips. The ones with any kind of building on them, would be the islands that they would investigate. From the looks of things, they would have to go in at night with scuba gear. Check the buildings and leave. Even with the frequent boat traffic, they'd be to noticeable during the day. There were five islands that had the interest of these agents. Those were the ones that agent Romanoff requested to have the jet get clearer pictures. Once they received the images on the laptop from the jet, they narrowed their search down to three islands. Two were in close proximity of each other, so agent Barton and agent Romanoff made plans to investigate those that evening. During the day they went to Puerto Princesa to eat and fill their scuba tanks. Barton also purchased two underwater propulsion devices, so they wouldn't need to wear flippers. This also meant they would get to the islands faster. While he did that, Romanoff got some supplies, just incase they would be out on the water longer than anticipated.

Night came, the anchor to the boat was set and the pair of agents dropped quietly into the water. Each wore a blade on their calf muscle and on their forearm. Agent Romanoff wore an underwater gps, to help them locate the islands. The underwater propulsion devices pulled them easily through the dark ocean. If there were any sharks or other sea life in the area, they stayed away from these alien beings that disturbed the underwater world. Once they could touch the ground near shore, the devices were turned off. Just their faces rose above the water, to scan their surroundings. The agents came ashore and hid their gear among some rocks. Together they crept forward, staying low to the ground. The first island had a few buildings, but all was quiet and it was crossed off their list. After returning to their gear and then back to the ocean, the second island was their destination. This island too had no inhabitants. So back they went to the boat and onward to the third island. Into the ocean they went. The third island had a dock that went out into the deep water. Under this the agents surfaced. Agent Romanoff heard voices and signalled this to agent Barton.

Natasha whispered into his ear. "I heard two voices above us. I'm going to swim back out and check them out. Wait here." She did as she said and returned quickly. "They have machine guns. Looks like one is stationed further up the beach, but came down for a smoke."

Clint nodded. "Choke them out. I take one and you the other. Do it quietly."

They were like lizards, moving fast and with violent intent. The men they attacked, barely had a chance to register they were not alone, before they lost consciousness. Barton checked the wrist of the man he took down, but no HYDRA tattoo was present. That said nothing, other than these two were local men. Agent Barton went first, once he was by the building closest to the water, he checked around, before waiving agent Romanoff to come in. Together they slunk forward. Any person they encountered they put to sleep. The further inland they went, the more armed men they saw. The clothing on the men changed from casual to fatigues.

"Hawkeye, go up that tower and check if you see any building that could be where the research is being done," Natasha whispered.

He nodded and disappeared. Five minutes later, she saw him in the observation tower choking out an armed guard. A few minutes after that he returned. "Three buildings have potential. They are heavily surrounded. The man in the tower, had a HYDRA tattoo. We need to get out undetected. If we put anymore to sleep, they'll know their security was breached and just move."

She nodded and they retreated the way they had come. At the dock, they quickly got back into their scuba gear and went under. Once they'd returned to the boat, they took off their gear and Barton got the anchor up. They cruised past another island and then he opened it up. They raced to Puerto Princesa and only slowed when they came close to the commercial harbour. Agent Romanoff was already reporting their findings to Directory Fury. They were instructed to refuel and then where to rendezvous with the agents that would transfer them from go-fast boat to jet. Fury didn't tell them if this assignment had been completed or not. They'd find out once they were back on the airship.