Clint watched the gunmen as they moved around the bank. The weapons and technology they carried suggested they weren't local thugs looking for some fast cash, but their organization and operation was that of the hired help; clearly someone had planned this and sent their expendable henchmen to carry out the dirty work.

Barton started running through possible scenarios should he be required to take action. Pepper was out of the way, which was one less thing to worry about, but there were still other hostages that could get hurt in the crossfire.

He blinked a few times trying to stall the blackness that threatened to encroach. That was the other problem; time was against him. Yes he was injured and in pain but if the moment called for it, he was sure he could pull it together to make his move. That window was rapidly closing though.

Two of the thugs paused in their travels. Obviously, they thought they had left enough distance that Clint wouldn't be able to hear their whispers. Yep, definitely the hired help, thought the archer.

"Did you get it open?"

"Ya, the manager was much more cooperative after we showed him the pictures; he opened that vault right up."

"Did you find the access panel yet?"

"Safety deposit box number three sixteen. They're overwriting the security protocols now. Another hour or so and Keres will be ours."

The two men parted company and continued on with their tasks. It wasn't the vault door they were trying to drill through but something else. It may have been the blood loss but Keres rang a bell for Barton. He had heard that name before. It wasn't a person they were retrieving from a safety deposit box, and if there were security protocols to override then the item they were after had extra security. It couldn't be the bank's security, or they would have had the manager override it. Then it dawned on Barton where he had heard the name before; Coulson had been talking to Fury about it.

A mission had gone spectacularly sideways and Clint had awoken several days later in the infirmary at one of SHIELD's bases. Fury and Coulson had been discussing Keres while waiting for their injured agent to come to. Clint hadn't caught a lot of information before the pair realized he was regaining consciousness and stopped their conversation, not that Barton needed to eavesdrop on what his boss was discussing anyhow. Whatever these men were retrieving from that vault, it belonged to SHIELD and Barton wasn't about to let them turn it over to who knows who.

Pepper felt a wave of relief wash over her having been able to speak to Tony. Just knowing that someone was there with her, even if they weren't physically in the room, was reassuring. Knowing that Tony knew and would do everything in his power, and being Iron Man meant he had a lot of power, allowed her to believe that she might come out of this situation alive.

She clutched the cell phone like the life line it was. There in the cold darkness of the vent, the glowing screen served as her single ray of hope. Stark had told her to keep the line open; he would have Jarvis patch the call through to his suit so he could hear her at any time. Pepper couldn't hear anything Tony said unless he wanted her to, but being able to talk to him was worth everything.

As much as she wanted to stay in her safe little haven until she could be wrapped in her boyfriend's loving arms, she hadn't walked into the bank alone today. There was a handful of strangers sitting in abject fear in the lobby at that very moment, hoping and praying they would be reunited with their loved ones too. Then there was Clint, who wouldn't have been anywhere near this situation if she hadn't asked for his help, if she hadn't felt that she needed to include the solitary man. Was she worrying about his solitude because it made her feel uncomfortable or was she worried for him and his state of being? Whatever her motives, they didn't matter anymore; Barton was here and in desperate need of medical attention because of her.

Pepper made up her mind; she couldn't sit and do nothing. The voices of the gunmen sounded like they were at the other end of the lobby. Taking a deep breath and hoping for a little luck she began to slowly move towards the entrance to the vent as quietly as possible. Using the knife Clint had given her, she popped the vent cover off and crawled back out into the office. Tony's advice to stay hidden was the safe option, but there was too much at stake to play it safe.

The glass that littered the carpet cracked under her feet. Wary of what lurked outside, she huddled close to the wall and peeked through the mangled blinds that covered the window to the lobby. The hostages were restrained and seated on the floor about ten feet apart from one another. Most of the thugs' activity revolved around the vault but a few of them would wonder through the bank making themselves as imposing as possible so the hostages would cower in their presence.

Two of the men met up and their conversation carried to Pepper's location. She listened to them discuss their progress and goals. It didn't mean much to her but it could be very useful to the Avengers.

She ran the information over and over in her head in preparation to tell Tony, when her eyes fell upon the archer. Fear clenched her stomach and her breath caught. He was pale and small red dots were forming on the improvised bandages. His eyes kept closing, but he was fighting to keep them open. Even from where she was, she could see that his breathing wasn't the usual slow and steady breaths that were normal for him.

Tears began to well up in her eyes and her heart ached for the pain her friend had to be in. Yet despite his agony, his first priority had been her safety. If it was in her power to make sure he was going to get through this, she was damn sure he would.

As quietly as possible, she made her way back to the desk and crouched underneath it. It was time to update Tony on what she had learned and pray that he had a plan to rescue them. If there was a way to save the day, Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk could find it.