Steve, Bruce and Thor leapt to their feet as Tony strode into the meeting room at Stark tower. They could tell by the look on Iron Man's face that it wasn't good news.
"Well, what happened?" asked Steve.
Stark moved towards the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of scotch and a glass. After downing that glass, he poured himself another and moved to the table where the rest of the team was eagerly awaiting an answer. "The council has granted us twenty-four hours to put together a case that proves Hawkeye isn't a threat. If we're successful then we get our bird back; if we fail, then they get me, the Iron Man suit and they execute Barton."
Thor voiced his concern. "Can they do this?"
"They are the head of the super secret spy club; I think they can do whatever the hell they want," replied Tony.
"So what are we going to do if this doesn't work?" asked Bruce.
Rogers slammed his fists on the table. "We can't let them do this."
"Well, we all know I have a problem with authority. I won't have any problem sticking it to them," proposed Stark.
"You mean for us to go against the council?" asked Thor.
"I mean that if we don't get the verdict we're after, we might have to take matters into our own hands."
"That would put us on the run from SHILED and every other organization they have a hand in. There wouldn't be anywhere for us to hide," responded Banner.
Iron Man countered, "I'm sure there are some rocks they haven't looked under."
"What about Natasha?" asked Bruce.
"I think she'd side with us as far as Barton is concerned," Steve hypothesized.
"She's an agent first. Let's not put her in that position yet. If it comes down to it and we're making our getaway, we ask her to come; until then we leave her out of these plans and we won't have to find out if her duty comes before us." Tony was certain that Natasha would side with them; but there was always that doubt that maybe SHIELD ranked higher than they did. She was very good at supporting the company line.
"Speaking of Natasha where is she?" asked Banner.
"Her and Fury are putting together a list of Clint's greatest SHIELD moments that might help our cause. You're all going to stay aboard the helicarrier during this gross miscarriage of justice, while I get to go and spend some quality time with Mr. Self-sacrifice." Tony elaborated to rid Thor of his confused expression "he's willing to throw himself to the wolves, if it means nothing happens to us. He stood there and claimed he was a traitor in an attempt to stop these proceedings. The fact that the council didn't shut things down right there tells me they're after more than declaring Barton the enemy. They want us all under their complete control."
Bruce pulled off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. "Meaning that no matter what evidence we throw at them they will find Clint guilty to get you and then us."
"Give the man a cookie!" said Stark.
"There are cookies now?" asked Thor who was ignored by the rest of the team.
Steve proposed, "We need a way to track where they take you Stark; that way we can break both of you out."
"Already have an idea about that Cap. I'm going to insert a tracking device in my arc reactor. It should mask it from any of their anti tracking devices; and if they do search me, they're not going to be looking there."
"The only way any of us get to keep our current lives would be to get the council to vote our way; to do that we're going to have to have something on them," inserted Banner.
"Blackmail, Bruce? I didn't know you had it in you," quiped Tony.
"Yeah well, we actually have a chance to do some good here, and if they force us to run and hide under a rock then our chance to actually help people diminishes."
"Right, so I'll go defend Robin Hood and try and to knock some sense into him, while you three coordinate with Romanoff and try and dig up some dirt on the council; if that doesn't work you get to play the white knights and rescue me and the bird - preferably before they cook his goose."
Everyone nodded in accordance with Iron Man's plan.
After hammering out as many details of their back up plan as possible, the team called it a night though none of them expected to get any sleep. Each needed some time to weigh the situation and make peace with the possible outcomes. This would be the biggest test of their teamwork yet, and each needed to make sure they were willing to see it through to the end.
Thor sat up on the roof in the spot he noticed Hawkeye had claimed as his own. He watched the people come and go on the street; busy with their lives completely unaware of the atrocity that was taking place. He felt the weight of Mjolnir in his hand; recalled the many battles it had help him emerge the victor. If the other Avengers were right, he would soon have to raise it again against the people of this world; the very people he'd sworn to protect.
He thought about Jane and what it would mean if he never saw her again. Going to war against the council would make him an enemy of this world and force him to leave the people he had grown to care for behind. The parting words at the Avengers' meeting had been to meet in the living room at seven am; if someone didn't show they would understand. Being on the run from SHIELD and the council wasn't something to be taken lightly, and they all had something to lose. They had all agreed they would be there, but even a blind person could see the traces of doubt that lingered amongst them.
There was also Loki's part in all of this to consider. His brother had attacked this world to deliver a blow to Thor, and Barton had had the misfortune of ending up a pawn in Loki's bid for vengeance. That was the start of the archer's troubles that led him to face the council.
It should be the disgraced god who faced their wrath and not his teammate; maybe it should be Thor himself for not seeing his brother for who he really was. He felt he owed it to Hawkeye to stand up for the man who believed he should not stand up for himself. Despite everything Loki did, Barton never held it against Thor for a moment and constantly brushed off the god's apologies for his brother's actions. Could Thor now turn his back on Clint for his selfish desire to keep Jane in his life, or would he risk losing the fair maiden for the call of war?
The god had never turned away from battle before but he had never had Jane and so much to lose either. He let out a sigh, could he abandon a warrior like Barton for the sake of personal reasons. His teammate was an honorable man and deserved Thor's respect and loyalty but... there was that but that stopped him from embracing their plan fully.
Steve rolled over again and punched his pillow; after the tenth time he gave up on pretending to sleep and wandered to the kitchen. He sat at the table in the dark and thought about all the people he'd left behind. He didn't like losing people and he wasn't about to add Clint's name to the list, but saving Barton would put the whole team in danger and send them all into hiding. That was assuming his plan was successful in freeing Stark and Barton. He had to consider everyone's lives, and there was a lot of room for error. If they did run could he keep them all safe, all of the time?
Steve's fight with Clint replayed in his head. He'd been willing to sacrifice Barton once; he should do it again, but would he? More importantly could he? All the things he'd been trained to do would be wasted; there would no longer be a team of superheroes to defend the innocent.
There was a part of him that desperately wanted to cling to the idea that the truth would come out and justice would prevail, that there still was right in the world. The future he had awakened in was bleak and corrupt; but then there were the Avengers, small rays of hope amongst the gloom. Broken people that rose together to save the world despite themselves; now one of their own needed to be saved. Rogers frowned as he realized Clint not only needed to be saved from the council, but from himself as well.
The archer's plan during the Keres incident had shaken Steve to his core. The man was willing to do anything to save the team and, according to Tony's recount of his meeting earlier, Barton was still willing to give every last piece of himself to protect them; even his honour. He had lectured Tony on not having that quality when they had first met, and yet he had failed to see it in Hawkeye. The Captain vowed that he would do everything in his power to make himself worthy of that kind of faith and loyalty from his friends.
The problem was, what was he, if he wasn't Captain America? How could he do good if they were running from the very people that gave them the opportunity to be heroes? The soldier part of him screamed that one person wasn't worth the millions that he could save as an Avenger working for SHIELD; but if he was so quick to sacrifice one person, was any of it really worth it. Wasn't he supposed to stand up for the one person?
Bruce stared at the computer screen unable to focus on his research. He was torn, and not just between himself and the other guy. Clint was an Avenger and they couldn't just leave him where he was, but what would become of them if they went against the council?
He never would have chosen the superhero thing for himself; never thought the hulk would be capable of helping in any way, but here with the team he had found a use for the rage monster that lurked just below the surface. To run now would mean an escape back into a world of fear; fear for the innocents that would be put in harm's way, fear for the hulk taking his frustration out on the team and fear for losing the purpose he now had a tenuous grasp on.
Tony sat on the end of the bed looking at nothing. Pepper was sitting next to him with her arms draped over his shoulders. He didn't regret accepting the chance to try and defend Barton, but it was another example of his impulsive decision making. His choices didn't just affect him; he couldn't bring himself to look at Pepper whose fate was sealed along with his. What ever happened affected her too, especially if it went wrong. She would be a target just like the rest of them, and he couldn't stand the fact that he had once again put her in danger.
Someone had to stand up for Hawkeye, and Tony owed him big time for looking after Pepper. He was the logical choice what with his fast mouth and ability to talk people into things. Thor would have just threatened, Bruce would have tried simple logic, Rogers would have appealed to their humanity and sense of patriotism and Natasha...well they never would have found all the bodies. No, Tony was their best chance to pull this rabbit out of the hat at least somewhat legitimately; they could feed the council to Romanoff later. He could sell anything to anyone; surely he could sell the innocence of an innocent man?
"Pepper..." Started Stark.
"You don't need to apologise."
"Yes I... wait how did you know I was going to apologise? What do you think I have to apologise for?"
"I know you Tony Stark, better than you know yourself; and you're doing the right thing. I want you to know how proud I am of you" she emphasized her point with a kiss. "You are capable of amazing things, and what you're willing to do for Clint just proves that. No matter what you decide tomorrow, I'll stand by you; but you don't need to worry about me."
"You're amazing you know that?"
"Yep, pretty sure it was in our last company newsletter."
The grey walls were quickly becoming a prison that night. Natasha would never have said she was claustrophobic, but the room seemed to be closing in on her. Her room on the helicarrier, her bed and SHIELD issued sheets, the fact that she was lying there alone amongst hundreds of people that made up the organization she had decided to devote her life to, was becoming horribly oppressive. This is what she had decided she wanted. Working for SHIELD allowed her to make up for all the things from her past that haunted her present. To choose to save her partner meant she would turn her back on everything she had come to believe in, all the good in her life. But she would have had none of that without Clint.
The Black Widow had many debts to pay. She had even told Loki that she owed Barton a debt; and while it had been part of her strategy, it was also true. But was that one debt worth all the others that she still owed? As an agent she had an avenue to make amends for everything. Rescuing Clint wouldn't even begin to touch what she owed him, she didn't think she could ever repay him; but running with her partner would only give her a chance to put a tiny dent in the debt to him whereas staying gave her a shot at repaying all the others she owed.
For the first time in her life she doubted if she was strong enough to make that decision. SHIELD had become a safety net. If whatever she and Barton shared fell through, there was always her job. If they ran, she would only have Clint and what if that didn't work; what if it wasn't enough?
She knew the team was planning something beyond a defense. She had seen it in Stark's face before he left, and she knew why he hadn't said anything to her about it. Romanoff hated it when people kept things from her, but part of her appreciated the gesture. They knew she was a part of SHIELD and what would happen if she joined them to rescue Clint; they had decided to leave the decision in her hands. The only other person that ever gave her that consideration was Clint.
With everything that Romanoff believed she owed Barton, it should have been an easy choice. But, as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared.
The chains rattled as Clint moved his hand to wipe the sweat from his face. He tried to think of something positive so he could sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he could see his teammates' faces. He could see his friends locked away never again to see the light of day because the council had deemed them as rogue threats, and it was all his fault. Why couldn't they see what he knew to be true, what Loki and the Tesseract had shown him? At least Stark had refused to bring Banner and Rogers into this, and Thor would be safe because the council wouldn't want to start anything with Asguard. He desperately hoped Natasha would see reason and oblige her duty to SHIELD, while Fury would always do the right thing and leave Barton to his fate.
The only thing left to do was convince Stark not to represent him. Clint had confessed to treason in a bid to stop Tony form being sucked into the middle of everything. That had been the last thing he had been clinging to; the self delusion that he was absolvable of his sins, but saying it out loud, the way the council had wanted just made them all the more real and undeniable. He had nothing left; the admission had condemned everything he had ever done and when they killed him, he would only be remembered for all the wrongs and none of the rights.
He made a silent apology to Coulson for not being strong enough to protect his name. Every time Clint had messed up, it had been Coulson that pushed him forward. The man had made him want to be a better agent and, more importantly, a better man. Barton never figured out why Phil had taken a personal interest in him, but he was eternally grateful SHIELD's top agent had. He would never be able to make up for his recent betrayal, but saving the team that Coulson had had faith in would be the best way to start.
"Just one more thing to do," he whispered into the night of his cold, lonely cell. He closed his eyes and waited for the nightmares. No one was as good at punishing him as he was.