"Chapter 27 Encounter part 2 the conclusion of Forget me not...

SHIELD base Hawaii

Fury paced the floor, up, turn, down and back again. He noted Gideon Killian just sat though his fingers twitched through each other. "It's hard just to sit here and wait", he acknowledged to Fury. 'Yes ,even harder to not know what has happened. I trust Captain Rogers implicitly but still feel that we might not be kept in the loop",Nick told him. 'Yeah friendship outweighs the duties to their agencies, and of course William and Clint are more than just friends. Years apart have not mattered, I believe they still understand each other", Gideon acknowledged. 'Where that understanding will lead, I cannot be sure, we may just lose both of them", that bit was said behind gritted teeth.

Fury knew he was right, Will and Clint could simply disappear after they had completed this mission. He was reminded of the fact that Clint had a way out already planned. It was possible Will Brandt had his own methods in place as well. Neither of them could prevent that happening. All they could hope for was that Will and Clint did feel a strong enough bond to the agencies to decide to return.

xxxx

In the tunnel under the sewers, New York city

"9",she had already begun that countdown. Ethan had been in that position before, hearing numbers fall away and just knowing something bad was going to happen. In this case, he thought that Will was right and Cassa Brandt would carry out her plan whether they gave in or not.

So she was just doing this countdown to torment them, or rather to torment Will and Clint. Will had time to prepare himself for this and just stood staring her in the eye. He stood at his tallest shoulders back, eyes determined and only the slightest sign of a tremor. Beside him Clint looked worse, he was pale and stared as his mother with a haunted look. She ,he noted was not looking Clint in the eye. In fact she barely registered he was there, all her focus, all her malice was directed at Will.

"Can I ask one question", the request slipped from Clint's tongue when Cassa hit 7. She just glanced at him and away. "Stalling will not work", she spat out. "Stalling, it's not about stalling. It's about memory. Mine is coming back to me and I want to know something", Clint told her earnestly.

Will turned to look at Clint. He had not expected his brother to say anything. Neither had Cassa Brandt. "6", she replied with a spit toward Clint. Will saw Clint lower his eyes and he reached out and touched him. Cassa saw that too, them holding hands in front of her. "All that love ", she muttered, "it is wasted gentlemen",5'. "You had better surrender now".

She wanted to hurt Will and knew that she had, yet now when it seemed like she had the upper hand back he just stood there staring her in the eye. It was almost unsettling. Beside him Clint looked battered emotionally, his tattered memory would only provide painful reminders of all that he had lost. She spared him only the briefest of glances. He had been the strong one, the one whos defeat would come when SHIELD had fallen. All her malice had been for Will, the one she had seen as a carbon copy of her sister. Of course recent events had proved that he was not. So did she really know him at all, was he going to fold, that's what she wanted him to do, she needed to win. "4", she said steadily. Around them the others did not move, all of them were watching Will, waiting to see what he would do.

"Love is never wasted, you loved us , I remember you taking us in your arms and kissing us. It was not your sister, it was you", Clint had uttered something totally unpredictable. Cassa felt herself go pale as the words touched a nerve. Will cast him a long look then turned back to her studying her reaction carefully. "That's it isn't it. What you are really wanting to destroy, what you see as your own weakness, that you actually loved us. I am sorry mother, that dad felt it necessary to take us away, that he feared that your bond with us was not strong enough to break you free from HYDRA. His love never had been".

"You hate me so much because not only do I remember you and your love, I also got love from our father. Clint had forgetten both of us and that was your victory. You never thought he could ever get his memories back. Well now he has. But he can remember who you were, not who you are."Is that not a good thing.". Let him go Cassa, and try and keep that memory alive. You have me and I will stand here while you do your worst", Will told her.

He did not expect Clint to like what he said. Clint in fact gave him a glare that would have scared many people, it was the look of an assassin eyeing up a target. Will just shrugged it off . "Don't do that", Clint growled, 'its too late Will, I will not forget what she's done to you".I stand with you and will fall with you, that's what you do for people you love". He grabbed Will then and enfolded his arms around him tightly all the while ignoring Cassa Brandt.

"I think we are down to 3 seconds", was all she said, though her white face indicated that both of them had picked at an emotional sore within her. 'Just do it Cassa, stop the dramatic countdown and do your worst", Will told her. He was getting tired of this game. "I will do it Will, ", Cassa told him firmly. Why was he not afraid, she wondered, he did not look that scared. "I know", Will told her softly, "So get on with it". He tightened his grip onto Clint's hand feeling like it was the only lifeline that would stop him from giving in .

Cassandra Brandt decided she was done with trying to get him to concede. Maybe he did need to see and feel the fallout of her actions. Then he would surrender. "Cory initiate my plan, send the troops into the building in their SHIELD gear", she ordered her colleague.

She smiled, "Will you have just lost everything, SHIELD will fall and he" ,she pointed to Clint, "along with it". "You only have yourself to blame, I would not have done it if you had surrendered".

Will just looked back calmly. Around him the others were all standing firm, trying not to let their own feelings show. What was Will's plan ,was going through Ethan's mind. He had not really laid out how he was going to deal with Cassa Brandt. There had never been an expectation in Ethan's mind that Will would or could kill his own mother. It did not matter what she had done, he still would not be the one to raise his hand against her. But if he had expected that his brother, a trained assassin, would do the job for him, he was definitely mistaken.

Clint just stood now also staring her in the eye and not making one move toward his arrows. The minutes ticked by. 'This plan of yours seems to be taking a while", Will noted calmly

Ethan tried hard not to smile then, because he recognised the tone in Will's voice, he had already thought up a counter to her plans and put it into motion. He too had been playing his own game. Cassa Brandt had already lost and did not know it yet.

That was what Will wanted to do to her, Ethan realized, tell her she was human and fallible. Maybe he was hoping that that her love for them might return, that she might be redeemable. The sad thing about that was he could sense that Will was mistaken about that as well.

Cassa was staring Will in the eye and realizing that the tone of his voice and that look in his eye was exactly the same as when she had spoken of victory to her sister a long time ago. She had never bluffed with her sister or pretended, it had all been about passionate victory and making others feel small. Why did she now many years later feel exactly the same as she stared her sons in the eye "Cory report", she requested quickly. Silence was her answer. "Dammit man, say something", now she screamed the words.

Will took a breath and told her the thing she had never expected, "Cory is on our side"."You are not the only one who has infiltrators".

Ethan had to admit, he was surprised, there had never been an indication that they had a helper within HYDRA. Around him the others were equally as shocked.

Her first impulse was to spit out the words you lie, because she had checked the background of everyone in HYDRA many times and had never found any indication any of her compatriots had anything to do with enemy people or agencies. However she knew that he was not lying.

So Will was still playing the game and he was doing well. She should have offered him a place by her side, he and not Fine would have made a great right hand man. Now she could not make that offer, because he would refuse. No matter how hard he fought against her, he was still fundamentality like her long dead sister.

Cassa now had to counter his moves. "Cory is not alone Will, he is in the midst of a HYDRA force".

"We have an Avengers force", Steve Rogers put in his first comment. "Yes, you do and you always do the right thing as well Rogers. Will is certainly in the right type of company. So are you going to tear the city apart again. You might beat us, but the people will loath you for what you have done to their city and it will be them who will insist that you quit. Can you stand that, peoples hero", her words were loaded with contempt and actually made Steve flinch. He knew she was right.

"Steve", Will addressed Captain America directly for the first time. "It won't come to that".

He looked over at his mother, "you won't surrender", he asked. She knew he already had figured out the answer to that question and was giving it one last chance to turn out alright. He could never put the family back together but at least he could avoid bringing others into the fight.

Deep inside her she knew she still loved them both and some part of her was bleeding right now, because she would not concede. "No", she said the words passionately.

Will nodded. He could feel Clint's hand squeezing his own with a force that was almost painful. That was telling him that no matter what he said next, he was with him.

"Iniate defense protocol", Will spoke the words to the air. "What", Cassa remarked, she had expected him to contact the others. "This place has its own defenses", Will stated. Steve had forgotten Will saying that when they entered. He had no idea what it meant.

The ominous shaking that begun seconds later however told him it might mean something dangerous.

Outside Tony Stark , Natasha, Jane and Benji had listened to every word that had been said. They had expected to get instructions to enter the tunnel. But once again Will Brandt had not told them everything. "Sir, there is a problem", JARVIS told him. "Of course there is", Tony remarked sarcastically, "there always has to be". What am I going to have to do this time".

JARVIS did not answer his question, just reporting, "I can detect some type of defensive weaponry imbedded within the tunnel walls. It is almost exactly where that rubble is located. My sensors are detecting destabilization of the tunnel structure due to activation of those devices".

Benji felt himself go rather pale upon hearing those words. Tony did not bother wasting words repeating exactly what JARVIS said to his friends below, he went with, "guys the tunnel is collapsing".

The shaking was becoming more violent and pieces of dirt and something worse were now falling upon them. Will looked rather shocked, which told the others that this had definitely not been part of his plan. "JARVIS reports that the structure you are in and the surrounding tunnels will completely collapse within the next ten minutes". I suggest you run", Tony informed them.

Cassa had heard his words but stood firm. "Is this another trick William". I will still not surrender".

"It's not a trick. Dad was not going to leave all this here without having some means to protect it from the wrong hands." Unfortunately he did not know that an alien army would cause damage to the whole area years later". We need to get out of here", Will told her. Cassa shook her head, "no William, I leave and it is the same as surrender".

A piece of something disgusting landed on her head as she said that. "We have to go Will, Clint", Ethan insisted.

Will however was not making any moves to leave. He was still looking at his mother and hoping desperately that she would choose to leave with them. "Whats going on", it was Cory Fine's voice and it sounded desparate. "Get out Cory, you have done your bit", Will told him. "Yes, you traitorous bastard, run away because if HYDRA catches you , then you die", Cassa told him.

Cory let her words slide off him. He would have nightmares about his time with HYDRA and they would take awhile to fade. He had gone into this plan knowing he may have to help HYDRA and Cassa Brandt unleash violence upon others . At times he had felt himself slipping into a void where he no longer knew whose side he was on. Then he would remember his own father who had also been a scientist and had died at the hands of Byron Ink. That made him hold on to the fact that one day he would see Cassa Brandt fail. Today was that day. Now all he had to do was help William Brandt take her into custody.

"Why don't you try and catch me yourself Cassa, or are you too scared", Cory taunted. He knew how to push her buttons.

It was ,Will thought, a good way for Cory to try and get his former boss out of the tunnel and into SHIELD custody.

She still did not move. The words washed over her, you have failed, you have failed, it hammered into her head with painful intensity. Now she would have to let her self be captured and led out of her, or be prepared to die. In a moment Cassa had made her choice, whatever happened death was awaiting her anyway. SHIELD or IMF would not let her live, no matter what Will or Clint wanted.

She nearly wavered when a chunk of tunnel fell down, missing Steve Rogers by inches. "Go", Will told his freinds. He was going to stay and hope he could still get his mother out of here. "No Will we are not leaving you here", Ethan told him firmly. "She is making her choice".Now you must choose to live".

Will did not move one inch. "Dammit", Clint swore, he grabbed Will around one arm and dragged him forward with all his might. "Come Will,please", he begged. "I know you want her to live, I do too, but do not die for her sake".

Cassa heard the words and felt a lump rise in her throat. For all she had done to them, they still wanted to give her the choice of living ,if only for a short while . If she did surrender it would give her a chance to talk to both of them, to feel like she actually knew them. A tear ran from her eye. It was the impossible dream, she knew she would keep fighting them, keep trying to be a winner, it would be a life of anger and pain. Nothing would change, that had always been the problem. So she did the one thing that she thought she never would, give someone else a chance to win. "Run Will, Clint", she said. "Take it as my final gift to you".

Will still stood firm reluctant to leave as he sensed she had given in. Ethan knew though it was not surrender to captivity with them, but being trapped down here. It was her own personal jail. Another chunk of tunnel fell then, missing his foot by only about 10 centimetres. This whole place was coming down and still Will stood hoping that the woman in front of them would take his hand.

She would never do it and Ethan knew Will also knew that. He was just being as stubborn as his mother was. So Steve and Ethan both stepped in and helped Clint drag him. Will struggled a little ,but could not resist the power of three people. He kept his eyes focused on his mother still standing in the centre of the laboratory watching him being dragged away.

Bruce Banner had just watched, thankful he had not be called upon to transform. He had stood the entire time pretending to listen and hoping the others would not notice him taking something from under the draped sheet in front of him.

"Run Bruce", Steve advised," transforming down here now, would definitely not help things".

Bruce nodded, he was right. He found that scientists did not need to be large green monsters to run fast, danger was a good enough incentive.

"Hurry", Tony warned them. As they dragged Will out into the tunnel around them they noted large cracks forming in the walls. The shaking was so violent that it was hard to keep their feet.

They lurched from side to side as they sped down the corridors.

Ahead of them Cory Fine ran while trying to avoid the HYDRA troops, who could still turn upon him. They though looked too busy trying to run themselves.

Cory found the ladder upward 3 minutes later and began his ascent into the light.

The others behind him were not so fortunate, as a large lump of brick fell from a crack to block access to the ladder. "JARVIS reports the tunnel ahead is blocked, take the left hand tunnel and keep running for 200 metres, there is another access ladder there", Tony told his friends. He knew his voice had sounded shaky as a panic attack came upon him.

Will had finally decided he could run under his own steam and shaken off the hands pulling at him. He had hoped he could bring Cassa with them and felt shaken that she had not seen sense in the end.

In his heart though he knew that surrendering to SHIELD or IMF meant eventual death and that Cassa had preferred to take her chances in a collapsing tunnel.

Ahead of him Steve Rogers raised his shield to protect them as another piece of tunnel fell in their path.

This one did not obstruct their progress, so they clambered over it. "Ladder, in fifty metres", Tony told them. Safety was nearly upon them and they were all relieved. With the ladder in sight they all found themselves flying onto the ground as a violent shudder passed through the ground beneath their feet.

Behind them the cracks covering the tunnel wall widened until the tunnel simply collapsed in upon itself. The noise was deafening as pieces of tunnel were propelled along toward them.

"Up the ladder now", Steve ordered jumping to his feet and quickly grabbing hold of the rungs and ascending as fast as he could go. Bruce, was quick on his heels. Ethan stayed below, making sure to push first Clint and then Will ahead of him. Will though once again resisted. "Its too late for her now Will, go "Ethan ordered.

Will looked at him and ventured a small smile, "it was not her I was worried about Ethan, it was you", he said. Ethan smiled back, "I will be right behind you", he said firmly as he pushed Will forward again.

This time Will climbed. But as he did he found his thoughts returning to his mother.

Once they had gone from sight Cassa Brandt decided to run. May be out there in the world she could find other allies that did not know she was weak. She hit the barrier outside the laboratory and found that this time it would not yield, she was trapped.

Above her the pieces of tunnel had stopped falling into the room and the shaking had stopped. It was as if it had been a programmed response that was no longer needed.

She looked around her, at all the treasures hidden under the draped material. Perhaps there was a solution to her weakness here. Will had made a mistake when he let her live. She grabbed hold of one piece of draping and pulled.

Xxxxxx

"So the whole place collapsed around us", Steve told Nick Fury and Gideon Killian. "We could not secure any type of information from the laboratory as it would have delayed our escape."

Nick and Gideon were disappointed in hearing that, yet relieved HYDRA had also come away with nothing. "JARVIS has scanned the area and found that the laboratory itself did not collapse, only the surrounding tunnels. The whole area though is structurally unsound as that entire pile of rubble still rests squarely on top of the location. It is our belief that any attempt to access the laboratory will lead to that rubble collapsing upon it and destroying the contents", Tony reported.

Fury sighed heavily upon hearing that, 'so we will get nothing in the future either". He eyed William Brandt to see if he looked upset, and found that he did. That was a relief as he had thought that somehow Will had ruined their chances of securing the information within the laboratory. He would have had to take action against the agent if that had been the case. That would have led to trouble with Clint. He was happy that did not happen.

So onto the next question. "Do we know if there were any HYDRA survivors" he asked. "We have in custody a few of their number, though not their leader. She chose to stay in the laboratory instead of risking capture", Steve responded. He had not said anything about the identity of that leader or Williams Brandt's plan to destroy the laboratory and never would. "So is there anything in there she can use to mount an escape", Nick asked Will Brandt.

Will shook his head, "she cannot access anything without my presence". If she's there then she is trapped and can never leave. Dad did leave some emergency rations stored there so she can survive for awhile", he said it without a tremor, knowing that may give the indication he was emotionally invested in her welfare. Nick sighed again, "then I guess, she stays there ".

He looked at Will and Clint, "you Will Brandt will return to IMF and be debriefed , Clint will stay here." Our agencies will be in touch with each other and work out the issues surrounding having identical twins. "

Neither Will or Clint protested, It seemed like both their agencies were content enough with the result even though everything had not gone their way…

Xxxx

Bruce had slipped away as soon as he had given his statement. He hurried to Tony Starks tower, to confess, "I stole something from the laboratory". Stark's eyebrows shot up. He did not protest as already he could feel the possibilities building. "Let's take a look at what you've got", he said. Bruce pulled out the small, compact device he had hidden in the folds of his clothing and watched as Tony connected JARVIS. The AI scanned the device. "It appears to have absolutely no purpose", he reported. "The components have been randomly placed, with no particular thought as to function. All I can get is this", he played a sound that resembled someone blowing a raspberry.

Bruce stared at Tony and Tony stared back. "So was it all a trick then, was everything in that place a fake", Bruce queried. "That would mean Will Brandt had yet another agenda", Tony mused. "JARVIS told me something else of interest. His scans of the device found in Brandt's arm reveal that it did not shut down because of the sea water. It seems someone changed the code".

Now that was interesting Bruce thought. "Well Brandt did not know about the device, I believe that part was true".So someone else turned it off before Byron Ink discovered Brandts location on that island."

It could have been Cory Fine", since he was actually helping us", Bruce mused. "Yes, but he was with Ink and that would have been risky. I believe his instructions were to stay undercover long enough to see the end of Cassa Brandt." It makes me wonder if Brandt has other things he is hiding", Tony concluded.

"It not our business anymore", Bruce told him quite firmly. "Don't worry I am not saying a thing", Tony told him…

Xxxx

A couple of months later.

Clint did not know what to buy his brother for Christmas. Steve and the others had told him that being together was enough and he knew that was true. They were meeting up in a cabin in the woods miles from anything and anybody. Clint had put up with months of questions and analysis of the whole mission until finally he felt like SHIELD was satisfied. Will too had been through the same process. Neither one of them were in any type of trouble and that was also a relief. They would continue to work with their agencies and from time to time work together as well.

He found Will in front of a fire, his face pink from the heat. "Merry Christmas", he said simply. "Merry Christmas Clint", Will replied moving over to embrace him with a hug. "So we are finally alone", Clint sighed," no more questions about whether you planned it all. Everyone is satisfied that the collapse of the laboratory was just a coincidence ." Of course they are all kicking themselves that the events did not take place one year earlier, before Loki's attack, then the result would have been different".

"It wouldn't because I still would have destroyed the place and then both of us would have ended up in deep shit with our agencies.", Will replied as he moved over to place plates upon the table. "That's why it happened now, Clint, so they'd never suspect it was all planned", he added.

"What", Clint found himself sinking into a chair. "I knew about Loki Clint, and what happened during the battle of New York", Will told him. "It created a weakness in the laboratory that would mean activating the defense systems would end up destroying all access points". "After the battle was the only time I would not have gotten the blame for the destruction." I wanted to take the blame of course but there is someone who would not let me", Will concluded.

Clint did not ask about that last comment because his mind was still reeling ."You knew about the battle of New York", he spluttered ,not believing what he was hearing. "Yes, everything Clint, including what happened to you." I really wanted to make that Loki guy pay", Will said with a definite fierceness. "That's why the ending of this plan changed once you joined us". I was not letting them try and pin any blame on you for the destruction".

"Will how did you know, the battle of New York is classified, eyes only. Nobody would have told you, nobody should have told you", Clint replied shakily. "Why should they not have told me Clint. You are my brother, lost to me or not", Will told him firmly

"But SHIELD or IMF did not know there were two of us,so who told you", Clint repeated. There was something strange in Will's eyes now, something he could not interpret. "You know I lied a lot during this mission Clint, even under the influence of truth serum. I had to lie, because I knew that all that research from all those minds is still out there. The place where we were, the laboratory, was just a cover, a trap for HYDRA."

Will began to set food on their plates as he talked and for the first time Clint noticed something, "why are their three plates" he asked. He knew that Natasha wasn't joining them because for some reason she seemed mad with Will. So who was it.

He had the answer when a man stepped out of the bedroom. From the dim recesses of his mind Clint remembered him, even though the years had changed his appearance. "Dad", he spluttered suddenly understanding all Will had said.

"Yes", Joseph Brandt replied. Byron Ink never killed me all those years ago. I just make him think that he had. "It was all because I hold all that knowledge Clint in here", he tapped his head," and I will never give it to anyone. Years ago I stopped believing I could find anyone that would use all that information for good. That why ,when the time was right I put in motion that plan that would make it seem like that information was lost forever".

"That war with Loki did one good thing, in giving us this opportunity. We were going to end things with HYDRA then come and get you from SHIELD and tell you everything. We never expected that you'd actually join us", Joseph told him..

"So it was planned, all of it. You had Will act as bait, to lure your former wife out of hiding. I am not sure what I feel about that", Clint told him truthfully. He was not to sure what to feel about anything right now. " I agreed to do it Clint", Will told him firmly. "We needed to be free from HYDRA as well as our mother".

Clint let out a breath as he took that in. He supposed that had he been in Will's position he would have done the same thing. "So is she dead now", he asked finally. "No, she's still alive. That place had enough food in storage for years of survival. It also had a lot of home movies, of our lives. Its all the good stuff she believed did not exist. Now she'll have to watch it and be part of the family.", Joseph told him.

Clint was still thinking, "so Loki actually did me two favours, he returned my memories, then became the scapegoat for the destruction of that so called laboratory". Clint found himself beginning to laugh as what had happened to him during that battle of New York came another step closer to being healed.

He looked over at Joseph Brandt who was watching him sadly, speculatively. He could never undo the past, what had happened to him or Will. They had lost a lot of time together. But they still had a lot of time left. So he did not hesitate in moving forward and wrapping his arms around his brother and father. His fathers survival was a secret he would keep hidden forever.

"Merry Christmas Clint", Will and Joseph told him. He knew this was going to be the best one he had ever had.

The END