AN: Thank you very much to the people who have reviewed. It gives me the motivation to keep going with this. So onto another chapter, enjoy!
Clint ran a calloused finger down the black arrow. It was something truly amazing. It was one of the many high tech arrows Natalia had gifted him with. Along with a beautiful new black carbon fibre bow. The arrow he was holding was designed to send an electrical pulse out on contact. He had to use all his self control not to test them all out when he was given them. But now, finally he could use them. Clint felt giddy.
'Do try and control yourself Hawkeye." Natalia said wryly. Clint didn't even realise he said anything out loud. "Anton's on the move."
"In position." Clint responded.
The location he chose on the roof opposite Stark Tower wasn't great for views into the tower but it did give him one important thing. The main power line of Stark Tower ran directly behind the wall and Clint was in a prime position to take down the power supply. There would be back up generators but they'd take three minutes to boot up and restore minimal power. Their other advantage would be the power would be restored floor by floor giving Natalia more time to act.
Clint placed the arrow down and selected another. This one was bulkier but it would explode on contact. He took careful aim at the weakest spot. It would be for nothing if he couldn't expose the electrical wiring. He slowly released the string and grabbed the arrow back into his hand, the bow was lowered by his side until Natalia gave to go ahead.
"Anton has gone. I'm in position. Begin Blackout." Natalia said, her tone was all business. Clint thought it best not to reply with a smart ass comment.
The bow was raised again. Clint readied the arrow and pulled back the string. This time he quickly released it and nocked the EMP arrow. His aim was true and a split second after the arrow lodged into the wall it exploded. The explosion was minimal but it was enough to damage the wall and reveal the wiring behind it. Clint released the second arrow and it struck the wiring. His sharp eyes saw the blue burst of the electromagnetic pulse and the tower was plunged into darkness.
Clint jumped out of his crouch and swung his kit bag over his shoulder along with his bow and ran along the rooftop to his next position. From this point he was able to see a room full of computers. This was going to really put his archery skills to test. Clint pulled out the third arrow he needed to use for Blackout. It was designed to hit a computers USB port. Natalia had put a virus onto the USB within the arrow.
It was what she called a Zip-Bomb. It was a tiny file, only 42 kilobytes but the computer's virus system would scan it and try to open it. The file would be forced open and then be decompressed. That done the tiny file would turn into 4,500,00 gigabytes and completely crash the whole system. Clint mostly smiled and nodded at Natalia's explanation. He didn't need to know the details, he just had to deliver the USB to it's target.
It would hopefully distract Stark's AI and their real intentions.
There was only one chance to do this. Clint rarely doubted his abilities but it was going to be essentially him shooting an arrow forty metres, through a glass window which would affect the speed and trajectory if he didn't put enough strength behind the drawback and then hit a target that Clint struggled to see despite his eyesight.
"No pressure or anything." Clint murmured and line up the shot.
"Make the shot Hawkeye." Natalia demanded. The longer it took him to knock out the main computers the less time she had.
Clint drew the string back steadily and released with the string with a large exhale. The arrow pierced through the window causing fractures in the glass. The arrow bypassed the first few rows of computers. Clint had planned that because if the arrow hit with full force the USB could be damaged. He felt his breath catch in his throat as the arrow rushed towards the target. He almost couldn't watch. What felt like hours but was really only seconds, the arrow hit it's mark. Clint could see the computer screen flashing as the virus uploaded and trashed the systems.
"I am so good." Clint stated feeling exceptionally proud of that shot. "You're good to go Black Widow."
Stark Tower began blaring with sirens. They'd been prepared for it and Clint was surprised it didn't start as soon as he fired the first arrow.
Clint kept watch but he wasn't able to see what Natalia was doing. The lights had started flickering back on from the first floor and moving there way up. Clint estimated Nat had about four minutes left before she'd be out of time. What he wasn't expecting to see was the red and gold blur flash across the skies towards him. Tony was meant to be buried in the journalist by now with no knowledge of what was going on. Clint ducked down behind an air vent to avoid being spotted before nocking an arrow. He'd have to keep Iron Man busy to give the Widow more time.
"Black Widow we have company. I'll keep Iron Man distracted but you better hurry it up." Clint warned then fired a standard arrow at Stark as he flew past. The arrow hit with a metallic thud and Iron Man screeched to a halt and turn around to face the roof Clint was on.
"I need more time. Stark has all the plans on a private server. I can't get access to it. His AI is more advanced than I was aware of." Natalia sounded frustrated.
Clint let loose another arrow and was up and running now that his hiding place was given away. Iron Man was after him in an instant. Clint ducked and rolled to avoid a blow from a repulsor and fired an arrow as he right himself. He'd considered using one of the exploding arrows but he really didn't want to kill Stark.
Iron Man landed with a thud on the roof. "Who sent you elf?" Clint remained silent and sent another arrow flying. On the ground Iron Man wasn't as agile and the arrow struck Stark's left arm. It hardly even made a dent. "You're a silent type. I get it." The next arrow was blown out of the air by Iron Man's repulsor. "Hm let's see here...Clinton Francis Barton. Orphaned at the age of six. Joined a circus. Fell off the radar and popped up again only two years ago in New York as costumed thief."
Clint scowled. He didn't even steal anything. That's what he gets for trying to help people. He was impressed at how fast Tony gathered that information though. Clint had tried to have his past erased but apparently it wasn't as gone as he'd expected. If Nat found about the costume he'd be ridiculed.
"Costume? Really Hawkeye?" Natalia asked unimpressed. Clint had forgotten about the comms.
"What's your angle here Legolas?" Tony questioned. "Anyone with a half brain would know I don't keep any confidential information on my main computer system. So why bother with the virus?" Clint kept his face calm but he was relived that Stark didn't realise Nat was trying to hack his private server. The interference from the EMP and the virus must have kept the AI distracted enough that it couldn't alert it's creator. "Still nothing?" Clint readied another arrow but didn't fire it. "How about I go inside and ask your partner instead then? I'm not even pissed. It's helpful to have my security flaws pointed out. Your partner might be brilliant at hacking but no one can get past my encryptions. JARVIS, activate Mark XXVII. Protocol Disco Ball."
"Hawkeye take him out! There's a suit in here with me." Natalia cried out urgently. The sound of a repulsor firing rang in his ear.
Clint released the EMP arrow with only a moment of hesitancy. It shouldn't hurt Tony but he was hoping it would disrupt the signal between the suits long enough that Natalia could get out of there. The arrow hit and Tony staggered as the current flared through the suit.
"Get out of there!" Clint demanded. He wouldn't kill Iron Man despite what she wanted and he didn't want her injured.
"Done firing arrows at me Link?" Iron Man raised both arms and aimed the repulors at Clint. "Now are we going to do this the easy way?"
Clint pulled out an arrow he hadn't tested yet. This one could be rigged, a way to end his life after Natalia was done with this job. But he'd take a chance. Clint turned from Iron Man and took off running. He fired it into the building over the road and leapt as the energy from the repulors slammed into him. Clint was winded but he didn't have time to recover. The arrow reacted once it was released and a grappling hook caught the edge of the roof. He was genuinely surprised as the cabling trailed out from the arrow. The end of the cable was attached to his bow and he his grip on it tightened. There was little he could do about the speed he was going at though. Clint assessed his options quickly. He'd either slam into the building and break a few bones or he'd have to go through a window.
Which would be fine but he really didn't know how this arrow worked and given it was attached to his bow he'd have to let it go. That wasn't an option. But it was his only option. Clint swore and tucked himself into a ball as he smashed through a window. Shards of glass went flying. Clint couldn't just leave his bow there so he pulled a long knife and reached out the window to grab it. The cabling was surprisingly strong for something so thin. He really thought it would just break and he'd plummet it to his death. Clint growled and pulled on his bow. The cable released and his bow was free. Clint was fascinated but he didn't have the time to be, the sound of Iron Man's repulors caught his ears.
Clint had set off the building alarm. Things were getting messy very fucking quickly. Clint sprinted through the empty office and into a long hallway. The elevators required a keypass so he kept going until he found the stairs. The door out to the stairs was locked but with a heavy booted kicked the door gave in. Clint didn't have time to take the steps one at a time and instead swung over the railing and down to the next level. He kept this up until he was on the basement level. There was no way he'd be able to get out of the ground floor. It was locked tight and he didn't want to draw more attention by blasting a hole through the window.
The basement level wasn't looking any more promising but after a lap around the car park he found an emergency exit. Thankfully it opened from the inside. Clint didn't have time to catch his breath now that he was outside. He didn't know if Iron Man was following him and the police would be on their way.
Clint kept to the alleys and side streets as he made his way back to the motel. Natalia wasn't responding through the comms. He didn't know whether to take it as a sign to go dark or whether she was in trouble. Clint was at a loss and he didn't know whether it was through sheer incompetency, the lack of ability to work with someone or not having the heart to attack and kill Iron Man. It was probably all three. Clint hadn't felt like this since his first merc job. And even that was an improvement to what just happened.
There was no plan in place if something like this happened. If Nat's cover wasn't blown, he didn't want to risk going back in. But if it was then he had no idea how he was going to get her out. Clint resorted to a bottle of whiskey to try and ease his nerves once he'd picked all the broken glass out of his skin.
The bottle of whiskey was halfway through when the door opened. Clint instantly reached for his gun but lowered it quickly. "Nat?"
"What the hell Barton?!" Natalia was angry. Clint was more concerned for his life than he was before. "I told you to take him out not run!"
"Well I made a different call." Clint snapped coldly. "Killing him wasn't essential to the job. You weren't getting that information anyway."
"That's not the point!"
"I'm not going to kill someone in cold blood."
"Russia tells a different story. I don't believe someone changes that much in a month. It's not about the killing, it's about who." Natalia spoke softer now but Clint knew it wouldn't take much to rile her up again. He took a long swig of the whiskey then passed it to Natalia.
"Call it an unwillingness to kill someone...something that I thought I could have been." Clint muttered and accepted the bottle back after Natalia took a drink.
"A hero?" Natalia looked genuinely surprised.
"Something like that...A straight shooter at least." Clint sighed and took another long drink. Natalia snatched the bottle off him.
"A costumed thief. You were trying to help but got blamed." Natalia sat down at the table with him.
Clint shrugged. He hadn't told anyone, he never had anyone to tell. Since he left the circus, left his brother, the Swordsmen and Trick Shot he'd been alone. Even with them he felt alone. "I moved on."
"Did you? Tonight says otherwise."
"Leave it Natalia. It's in the past." Clint snatched the bottle off her and headed for the couch. He wasn't discussing his past and he sure as hell wasn't in the mood to discuss the fuck up on the job.
Natalia was silent for a while but he could hear her moving around. "Someone once told me everyone has a choice."
Clint didn't want to take back his words. He felt Natalia was bringing that up for him as much as it was for her. If he gave up hope on making a change to his life then she never would. Clint at least had freedom. Nat didn't have that luxury and he wanted it for her. "I made my choice."
"No, you took the easy way out. You didn't fight for what you want, you ran. I didn't take you for a coward Barton." Natalia's tone wasn't cruel but his only response was to throw the nearly empty bottle somewhere in her direction. He heard the shattering of glass against a wall. "Try not to choke on your vomit while you sleep." Natalia called out coldly and turned the lights off.
Clint doubted he'd be getting any sleep tonight. The effects of the alcohol were wearing off and he could feel the pain from the injuries he'd sustained earlier. Iron Man's respulors hit with a lot of force. He'd dug the broken glass out of his skin before he started drinking but the cuts were stinging. But he focused on the pain because he didn't want to think about anything else. In a different world he could have been standing by Iron Man's side. Natalia was right, he was a coward. He shouldn't have run. It was too late now. Tony knew his face, knew it as an enemy.
At some point Clint had fallen into an uneasy sleep but he was woken up by something. Clint sat up and rubbed at his eyes and tried to figure out what woke him. It was the sound of a mixture of whimpering and harsh breathing. Clint looked over to the bed. Natalia was deep in a nightmare. She would thrash occasionally and even increased to a sob. Clint knew she wouldn't take kindly to the knowledge he heard it. But he couldn't just leave her in that state.
Clint padded over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed. The bed dipped slightly but Natalia wasn't roused from the nightmare. "Natalia, wake up." Clint sighed, there was no response. He was really going to end up dead. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder and called her name out again. The effect was instantaneous. Clint found himself being thrown onto the ground. Natalia landing on top of him with a pale hand around his throat.
"Natalia it's me. Clint." Clint coughed out as his air ways were restricted. He could have knocked off her in the state she was in easily enough but he didn't want to alarm her any more. "Nat!"
"Ba...Barton." Natalia gasped out and released the grip on his neck.
Clint rubbed at his neck absent-mindedly. Natalia's eyes were wide and her breathing was still harsh. It was the most human she'd ever looked but Clint was concerned for her. She looked damaged and scared. Natalia sat back on her heels but she was still straddling him. She stared down at his chest with a forlorn expression. "I'm not going to hurt you Nat." Clint reassured softly. There was no response from her. "How 'bout getting back into bed?"
Natalia got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Go back to sleep Barton. I'm fine."
Clint sat up but avoided standing. He didn't want to tower over her. But Natalia had already pulled her mask back on and nothing about her said she just suffered from a horrendous nightmare. There was no point arguing the fact with her so Clint conceded. "I'm here if you need me."
There was only silence from Clint so he returned back to the couch. Sleep was taking him once again but Natalia spoke so softly he strained to hear the words.
"It's fine."
"What is Nat?" Clint asked with confusion.
"That you call me Natasha."