CHAPTER #20

When they had returned to the airship, Directory Fury was not happy with their absence from communication. Agent Barton and Romanoff's explanation of needing to immediately follow up on a lead given by the scientist, that took them to a dead zone, seemed plausible. But he was not a stupid man. He knew something else had happened, but he could prove nothing. Even though he had an assignment that required them to work together again, it could wait until he was sure they were doing their jobs properly. So agent Romanoff was assigned to get information from the scientist and he sent agent Barton on a reconnaissance operation in Kenya. Both assignments would only take a few weeks, but it would help him assess their mental status. When the agents he had assigned to observe them, reported in, both of the analyses came back as normal. After a long debriefing and a lecture about staying in communication with him, he finally sent them back out into the field together. This operation sent them to Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean. It was one of the most remote locations on planet Earth. But recently S.H.E.I.L.D had intercepted satellite communications, that threatened world security. The Island had few roads and limited boat access. The agents would be dropping in on the island via air transport, as that was the fastest option. Parachutes couldn't be used due to the strong air currents surrounding the mountain.

"I think he's still punishing us for dropping off radar for a week," Clint said as he prepared his pack.

Natasha shrugged, "maybe. I saw the communications being sent, it's definitely something that normal government agencies can't handle."

They walked out on to the carrier deck and to the awaiting quinjet. This aircraft had the ability to hover like a helicopter, but was easier to maneuver with the aggressive air currents of the island. They didn't know if they were dropping into a friendly zone or hostile. So both agents were fully suited up and equipped for either situation. As they began the flight to the south atlantic ocean, the pilot advised that the area was known for volcanic activity, constant rain and mudslides.

"This is definitely punishment," Natasha agreed.

"Hopefully we'll get in and out quick. Get what intel Fury wants and return to a much more hospitable location," Clint replied.

"When has it ever been just in and out for us?"

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. She punched him in the arm and rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant, don't be such a child."

"You're in a crusty mood today. I'm just happy to be doing something outside of Fury's direct scrutiny."

The pilot banked to the left and said, "we're approaching the island. Arrival is 5 minutes."

The agents got ready to exit the quinjet. They would drop down on a line and the co-pilot would release the line when they communicated they were on the ground. As expected, the wind was challenging for the pilot to keep them steady. To make matters even worse, the rain was coming down in a torrential downpour. Agent Barton departed first, quickly getting to the ground and holding the line for his partner. Agent Romanoff landed in the mud and they moved out of the way as the line was released. Agent Barton rolled up the line and put it in his pack.

"Let's get this party going," Natasha grumbled.

Clint looked at the map they'd been given and a compass, "we have a long way to go. For now let's head straight north towards Queen Mary's Peak."

The pilot had taken them in as close to the peak of the mountain as possible, but they still had a few days trek to reach the town. It wasn't long before they had to do some rock climbing. Agent Barton sent two arrows high up on the cliff face and they anchored into the rock. These they would use as safety lines, while climbing up. They could see the area they were in recently had a mudslide. The good news about that is there was little vegetation to hinder their climb, but the bad news was the threat of another slide. The climb was slow going, but they eventually came to a ridge, where they could hike further in and then continue up.

Natasha was annoyed that Barton apparently was enjoying the hike and climbing. "Any idea what time night fall occurs?"

"Around 8pm. My watch says that'll be in four hours. Not that we could even tell, it's dark just because of the damn rain."

"Let's try to get to an area that won't have a mudslide overnight. I'm not into being buried alive."

"According to the map, if we get over this next ridge, there should be an open plateau. The next peak is far enough away that we should be safe overnight," Clint advised.

"I've packed a two man pop tent. That should do to keep us relatively sheltered from the elements," Natasha added.

They couldn't really chat, as the wind picked up and the rain hammered down. Each was left with their own thoughts. The hike was miserable, so by the time they reached the plateau, both were ready to call it a day. Together they had to assemble the tent, as the wind kept trying to dismantle it. Once inside the tent, they had very little personal space.

"Damn this rain," Clint said as he removed the rain poncho that covered him and his quiver of arrows.

Natasha gave him a sad smile. "Here's diner," she said handing him an energy bar and a packaged drink.

"Thanks. He ate it and put the garbage in his pack. Then used the pack as a pillow and lay back. His quiver and bow beside him.

She did the same and they discussed the operation they were on. Then she talked about working the scientist over from their last assignment. Natasha said, "we thought Loki was evil, but he's nothing compared to the scientist."

"We have a lot of monsters in our own world, we don't need aliens," Clint sighed.

She rolled on to her side and propped her head on her hand. "I couldn't have done my job on that scientist, if you hadn't helped me at your cabin. He only gave up information, when he thought he had the ability to terrorize me. I had to be tied down and alone in the lab with him, before I could get him to talk."

"That must have been intense. So no more nightmares?" Clint asked.

"I didn't say that. I still have them occasionally, but not like they were before." Natasha confessed, being completely honest with him.

He nodded. "I'm glad I could help. Especially since we are sleeping in tight quarters tonight and I don't want to be kicked or attacked," Clint teased.

"You should be safe tonight," she grinned. Then she rolled over on to her side, her back to him.

"Back to back tonight?"

She shrugged, hoping that he would take the hint. "Whatever you want."

He spooned her, putting an arm over her waist. He waited for her reaction, when none came he relaxed. But she did wiggle her ass until it was perfectly up against his crotch. He raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was playing games, just getting comfortable or what. When she moved again, he had to say something.

"If you keep doing that, don't be surprised with the response that happens."

She stilled and then said over her shoulder, "sorry I was just getting comfortable." Then said softly, almost in a whisper, "it feels right this way."

Clint knew it took a lot for her to open up and say that. "For me too. Good night Nat."

"Good night Clint."

CHAPTER #21

The next day was just as miserable as their first day on the island. But they made good progress. At the top of Queen Mary's peak, they saw some buildings. Agent Romanoff used the binoculars to check if there was any occupancy. By the time she put the eyeglass down, agent Barton was already climbing down the rock face. She shook her head in annoyance and then followed after him. They were half way down, when there was a rumble from above that made them both look up.

"Rock slide!" Natasha yelled as she put in another anchor and squeezing herself into a crack that ran down the cliff face beside her.

The rocks came crashing down seconds later, she closed her eyes to protect them from rock shards. A chunk tagged her arm, but her uniform protected her. Agent Barton wasn't so lucky. He had tried to get out of the way of the rock slide, but wasn't fast enough. When the slide finally stopped and agent Romanoff had a chance to look around, she saw him limply hanging from the safety line. As she repelled down the mountain to his side, she saw blood on his head.

"Clint! Clint!" Natasha called to him, franticly anchoring herself so she could check for a pulse. She was relieved to find one.

But he wasn't conscious. She knew she had to get him down first, before she could help him. She clipped him to her line and to her harness. She was just releasing him from his line, when he came to. She was slightly relieved that he had only lost consciousness for a few minutes.

"Nat? I can't move my arm, I think I dislocated my shoulder."

"That and you have a good gash on your head. That's where the blood is from. You just had to get yourself all banged up…." She scolded. "We're going down now."

The rest of the decent was without mishap, but the going was slow. He had a high tolerance for pain and that was a good thing, because anyone else would have screamed in agony or passed out. Once her feet touched the ground, she unhooked them from the lines. He remained standing, leaning against the rock face.

She looked him over, gently taking off his gear and pack. "It's an anterior dislocation. I can either call it in so they come get you or I can manually relocate it. Up to you."

He frowned at her with a look of disbelief. "Nat have I ever quit an operation?"

"No, not even when you should. You're a stubborn ass."

"Thanks. Now just get on with it," Clint said.

She made sure his upper arm was in its resting position, perpendicular to the ground. He watched her as she carefully followed the steps that any first aide trained agent would have taken. Agent Romanoff slowly rotated his arm and shoulder outward, making sure his upper arm was stationary. It took two tries before his shoulder popped back into its joint. He had broken into a sweat, but that was the only sign he showed that he was in pain. With the joint in place, instant relief came. He rotated his arm in the other direction, back towards his chest, before resting it. She made him a sling, to accelerate the healing. Knowing him he'd be using the arm long before the recommended 10 days.

"Is this the arm that you dislocated in Hungary?" Natasha asked as she cleaned up the blood and fixed the gash on his head.

Clint replied, trying not to move his head. "And again in Nigeria last year. The arm will be okay. But would you mind carrying my pack for the day and helping me back into my gear and poncho?"

"I can carry it all you know. Putting more strain on it, will just have the joint pop again."

"Nat, I'm fine." Clint was getting annoyed that she was babying him.

She knew better than to test his patience too far, so she relented. Carefully she put his gear, bow and quiver back on. Then the poncho went over top. Once he nodded that he was ready, she shouldered his pack and then continued on. The good news was that they didn't have any more repelling to do or mountain climbing. Now it was just a long hike through dense terrain. Agent Romanoff took the lead, sometimes having to hack away at the shrubbery to make a path forward. She knew his energy would be draining faster than normal. So they took a few pit stops along the way. She gave him her ration of energy bar, claiming not to be hungry. It brought memories back of another time, when they had been on an operation and he'd been injured. It was in his nature to always protect her, no matter what the cost was to him. He'd die for her in an instant, if it meant she would live. That loyalty, scared her and excited her. The time she was recalling, was an operation where he had thrown himself into the line of fire, so she could escape, when he ran out of arrows. He took a beating from the HYDRA agents on top of almost bleeding to death. She had come back for him, as he knew she would. The Black Widow, on that day had been horrific beauty in motion. That's when he saw what she really could do and he never forgot it.

"I've been in plenty of scraps before. Dislocated body parts, broken bones, you name it. Whatever it takes to get a job done. This is no different than those times. I won't slow you down," Clint promised.

The look in her eyes, he couldn't identify. "I wasn't implying that you were or ever have slowed me down. I was just thinking of other times that you have been injured and were too stubborn to give up," Natasha clarified.

"Are you scolding me Nat?" Clint asked, laughter underlying his words.

"No, cause we both know it wouldn't do any good. Just let me see that map again." She sighed and gave up trying to stop him from continuing on.

He handed over the map, then pushed a piece of hair out of her face. "Nat." Clint said softly, with emotion, making her look at him with wide eyes. "Thanks for looking out for me. You're a good partner."

She sucked in her breath, not sure what was happening between them in that moment. Then he went back to teasing her. "That is, when you want to be."

Relieved that things went back to normal instantly, she replied, "shut up Barton." Natasha took the map from him and checked the compass. "We won't make it to the buildings today, but tomorrow morning we'll be there. I want to find shelter from this rain, so we can have a fire tonight. I'm soaked right through."

"Lead on then agent Romanoff, lead on." Clint may be joking with her, but he was also very drained. The pain from his shoulder was intense.

Agent Romanoff knew him well enough, that she could see that he needed to rest. He was pushing himself to not be a hinderance to her. They had no pain pills or anything that could ease the trauma his body was going through. That would have to wait until they got to those buildings or perhaps not until the operation was finished. As they went through a particularly dense area, she decided to use the plants for their shelter. She tied the branches together and a hut began to form. Then with a bunch of ferns she was able to weave together a decent shelter, so that they didn't need to use the tent at all. Due to the dense vegetation, they even found some dry branches and twigs. Agent Barton use this to make a fire.

"Having dry feet will put me in a much better mood. How's your shoulder?" Natasha asked.

"It's a dull throb, nothing that I can't handle. So what's for diner?" Clint asked.

She dug through her pack and pulled out a foil pouch. Some water was added to it and then she resealed the package. This was placed near the fire, so that it would heat up and cook the contense. A few minutes later, she picked up the foil and shook it. Opening it up she smiled.

With a shit eating grin, Natasha finally replied. "It smells better than the usual rations. I think agent Hill might have a crush on you."

Clint ignored the comment. "Pass it on over, I'm hungry already. I'd eat pig slop at this point."

She gave him the pouch and a spoon. "Like I said, it smells good, so leave me some please."

He didn't hesitate in shovelling the hot food into his mouth. As he chewed he nodded. "I don't know what it is, but it's good. Here try some." He passed her a spoon loaded with the food.

Natasha tasted the offering. "It's a bit too salty, but other than that not bad. It still looks like baby food though."

Clint shrugged, "filling all the same."

The rest of the meal they ate in silence, sharing it equally. As the pouch neared the bottom, she told him to finish it. She watched him use dirt to clean out the foil and then stuff it into his pack. The spoon he handed back to her. Then as was their routine, they checked their weapons to make sure no problems would occur the next day, due to the constant soaking. No matter what position agent Barton lay down in, his shoulder was unhappy. But his training also kicked in. He forced himself to take long, deep breaths and regulate his breathing. Eventually he fell asleep.

Agent Romanoff was worried about him, but there was nothing she could do. She hoped that the situation they would be facing in the morning, would be routine. Hawkeye would get in position to be her eyes and warn her of any danger. Then she could get the intel she needed from the people who had sent the satellite communication. They'd leave and S.H.I.E.L.D. could help him heal his shoulder. For once she hoped that her wishes would come true. After putting more fuel on the fire, she too lay down and closed her eyes.

The morning introduced them to a day without rain, but it was still overcast. Agent Barton was very stiff in his upper body when he got out of their hut. He stretched, but knew that if they were walking into a dangerous situation, he'd have to push his body to react the way it needed to. "Ready to finish this op?" Clint asked.

"There should be three buildings, one of which is where the communication came from. If you get positioned on this building, you can let me know if anyone comes at me from behind." Natasha showed him the satellite image of the buildings.

"That works. I see you've got your guns ready and a few extra clips. That's wise since my arm use will be limited."

As they came out of the forest of ferns and trees, Hawkeye scanned the surroundings of the open area. He nodded and they continued on. As they had discussed, he scoped out the designated building and then went on to it's roof. Once he was in position, she began her advance on the building that had sent the transmission. The place seemed to be dead, nothing moved. Once inside, she found no one. This was odd, due to the fact the transmission was only a couple of days ago. S.H.E.I.L.D. would have reported to them if anyone had left the island.

Natasha spoke through her communication device. "It's deserted. Nothing is here except some electronic equipment."

"Check the interior of the other buildings," Clint suggested.

She did just that, with the same result. "What if there's a portal to another universe on the island. That would explain the transmission and how everyone disappeared without a trace."

"That or they have a weapon that disintegrates all sign of human life," Clint said.

"Either way this mission is over. I'm calling Directory Fury and get an agent to come pick us up." She did that and also took some pictures of the inside of the buildings.

"I don't know about you, but I have a bad feeling that whatever was going on here, will come to bite us in the ass in the future," Clint mused.

Natasha nodded, "doesn't it always. But at least we don't have to hike back out of here. The quinjet will have no problem landing in this open area. Then we can get your head stitched up and your shoulder taken care of too."

No sooner had she said that, when their transportation arrived. They got on board and the pilot launched them back into the sky. They were heading back, no wiser than they had arrived. The island for now would keep it's secrets.