Disclaimer and AN: I don't own them, but I do own a stuffed Hawkeye that my best friend won me from the claw machine!
I hope ya'll loved my cliffie! Mwhahaha I'm evil ain't I? Anyways, with the DALLAS coming on tomorrow night and it being a big deal in my family, I probably wouldn't have a lot of time to write. So enjoy this little chapter to hold you over after that evil ending to the last chapter. As usual, review please!
Chapter 19:
The echo of the gunshot could be heard all around the Stark estate.
"Pepper, keep everyone inside!" Tony said, pushing his fiancée back towards the house. Rhodey began to help her, while Steve joined tony.
"Where did it come from?"
"The beach. Clint and Emma are down there with their daughter."
Another shot rang out, followed quickly by two more from what sounded like a smaller caliber gun. The two men began to sprint towards the gunfire. There was no time to worry about anything else.
Both Thor and Bruce had pushed their way out of the house by that time and were right behind Tony and Steve. Natasha had finally finished with the A.I.M. scientist and had sent him home in a cab, obviously drugged or something – not liked any of the Avengers would ask questions – and she too had joined in on the fight. In Thor's hand, he grasped Mjolnir tightly as he was ready for battle.
Another round of gunfire began.
Without hesitation, Thor took to the skies and immediately landed with a thunderous explosion in what was the epicenter of the gunfire battle.
"Well that's one way," Bruce said with a grin. "Or there's this."
Easily as he did during the battle with the Chitauri, Bruce transformed into the Hulk and thundered into the fray as well.
"And to think I didn't want to put my armor on," Tony said as he, Natasha and Steve kept on running.
"Hopefully you won't need it."
The first bullet had grazed her arm and the second shot was well off its mark. Thankfully whoever was shooing at them was shooting for her and not for Clint. That she could deal with. Emma hit the sand and rolled, tossing up her shoes and towel for a distraction. She quickly reached up the thigh of her exposed leg and grabbed for her concealed .22 pistol from its thigh holster and fired two quick shots in the direction the that first shot had come from.
She knew it was a lost cause. Whoever had been aiming for her obviously had night vision equipment. But that didn't mean she couldn't kick up some sand or something.
"Clint get her out of her!" she yelled towards Clint who was still kneeling in the sand with Audrey clutched tightly in his arms.
Before he could even react, more gunshots rang out – both from Emma and the mysterious shooter. In the confusion of everything, he managed to get his footing underneath him and get out of the area.
"MOMMY!" Audrey screamed as Clint ran from the scene with her in his arms. "MOMMY!"
Suddenly roll of thunder could be heard and a bolt of lighting struck the middle of the beach where Emma had been fighting. Audrey screamed again. "MOMMY!"
"Shhhh, Audrey. It's going to be okay." Clint said, holding his daughter tightly in his arms. "Help's here."
Audrey sobbed against her father's shoulder. "Mommy…" she whispered.
"Point me in the direction of the enemy, Emma," Thor said taking a defensive stance in front of Emma.
"Straight ahead as far as I can tell."
Thor raised up Mjolnir into the sky and summoned lighting before pointing it straight head of him. A muffled thud could be heard as someone was trying to escape. About that time, Hulk came thundering through the bushes and grabbed the would be assassin by the scruff of the neck. He tossed him like a rag doll onto the beach in front of Emma and Thor.
"Hulk smash gun!" Hulk said as he smashed the sniper rifle that had been used to shoot at Emma.
By then, Tony, Steve and Natasha had reached the beach. Clint had made his way back up to the house. Audrey would be safest there. She was his main concern at the moment because he knew that Emma and the others could handle themselves with one assassin.
"So does anyone know who this is?" Tony asked.
Natasha knelt by the body and brushed the long hair out of the unconscious face. "I think this is Winter Solider. He's a former KGB spy. But I have no idea who he is working for now."
"Let's get him over to the small guest house. It's not being used right now. We can search him there. Then we'll call in S.H.E.I.L.D.," Tony suggested. "Hulk could you carry him please?"
Hulk picked up the unconscious assassin off the ground and flung him over his shoulder and carried him towards the small guesthouse that wasn't being used. Everyone followed behind him.
Everyone but Steve.
As soon as he had seen Winter Soldier's face in the dim moonlight a flood of memories had come back to him. Whoever Natasha had said this guy was actually wasn't the truth. The truth was he was Bucky Barnes.
But he looked damn near the same as he did the day of that last mission on the train.
What had happened to him for the last 70 years?
