Chapter Eleven

Clint walked behind Natasha and Phil as they entered Tony's conference room. Facing them were Steve, Tony and an angel faced brunette. Clint inwardly groaned. Tony was on her side: she was smiley and cute.

"So, when you messed up on Greyhound, you thought you'd send us Anne here, instead?" Tony asked, his arms crossed. Clint assessed Anne, or Hornet, for dangers. She wasn't muscular enough to be a physical threat, but then again, Bruce was equally deceiving. Clint wondered where Bruce was, a seat was pushed back against the wall which signalled he had been there. Obviously, it had been him who had shut the door during the call. It only took Clint half a second more to realise where Maria was.

"I'm flattered," Anne said her voice a soft southern drawl that made Clint wince again. Tony was grinning slightly, whether from the girl next to him or from supposedly outsmarting SHIELD.

"You called us together, and we saved your ass, well, not yours personally but in general. So don't try and tell us who we have to work with." Tony smirked at them all. Clint knew it was his fault, for giving over classified information and thinking he knew better than Phil. For all four of them to go to Nevada to terminate Hornet, she had to be dangerous.

"So, to prove your point," Natasha said as she sat down. "You invite someone you think we're going to make join you, just so that you can ask first? Aren't you sort of showing you're fine with what SHIELD is trying to do?"

"What I don't understand," interjected Steve quietly. Clint wondered how he did it, to manage suddenly to get every eye to turn to him, and stop Tony from answering Natasha immediately. "Is why SHIELD thinks we need more people. I understand that Miss Roth here and many others have valuable talents, but the Avengers were created to stop Loki, and the six of us did that."

"Maybe I should go," Anne said as she stood up. "I'll wait outside whilst you guys talk it over." Clint really hated the smile she used on Tony; he had seen Natasha give it to a mark a thousand times and knew exactly what it did. He didn't miss the tiny nod Phil gave and the sudden lack of Juliette. Clint wondered if she was just following, or if they would rid of the Hornet problem in a few minutes. It wouldn't go down well with Tony or Steve for that matter if Juliette did kill Anne.

"You've got no idea what you've done, Stark," Phil said as soon as the door was closed. "Hornet's dangerous, she should have been terminated."

"You were going to kill her?" Steve looked shocked.

"Do you have any clue as to what she can do?" Clint thought Phil ought to sit down, he suddenly looked old enough to be their real father instead of just honorary one.

"Telepathy, she can communicate with people over short distances, which I thought was useful if someone forgets their comm or can't reach it." That came from Stark, which amazed them. Clint shuddered slightly at the thought of that, he had had enough of people playing around with his head.

"I suppose she didn't mention the twelve deaths she's been responsible for in the last two years?" Phil added. "One was witnessed by a SHIELD agent. You wouldn't like the details, Mr Stark. She's a killer, and she should never have been given the power to invade another's mind." They were all looking at Phil now, Tony slightly disbelievingly. Clint could see why, Natasha and Juliette had the dangerous build and their every move when not under cover betrayed how deadly they were. Anne Roth had the stature and gait of a pretty waitress.

"She doesn't seem like the type to commit any murders," Tony shot back.

"How can you say that facing Natasha?" Clint asked him. He was worried now, Juliette might not know about Hornet's abilities, and she was running right in there to kill her.

"She wasn't tried because how could death by mind control be made to stick? She was on SHIELD's threat list for a long time; Fury was convinced that it was only her initial reactions, her trying to control her powers. He gave the order to terminate her because she's too much of a threat now." Phil had taken a seat by now, looking across the table at Steve and Tony. "You can't consider her as an Avenger, Captain." Clint saw Steve sigh and finally look up from his hands.

"I don't have the power to do anything," he said quietly. "Past crimes or not, it doesn't matter."

"Fury doesn't want Hornet on your team," Phil told him. But if he did, they all knew, Steve wouldn't be able to say no.

"You- You've sent Juliette after her already!" Tony spat, standing up. "What happened to her second chance?"

"She got it, but she's too much of a threat now." Tony and Phil had a furious stare off until Stark broke away.

"Jarvis, where are Anne and Juliette?"

"Agent Mede is currently in kitchen; Miss Roth has left the tower. Sir, may I suggest that Agent Mede receives medical assistance immediately? My sensors do not detect any movement." Natasha was at the door in a flash, before anyone else could react. Phil had stood up quickly too.

"Hornet's gone?" Steve asked, following suit. Clint ignored him, running after Natasha into the corridor.

"Miss Roth left the tower via the elevator three minutes ago." A variety of curses echoed along the corridor.

"Hill." Clint heard Phil snap into his earpiece. "Get Doctor Banner to the kitchen at once." Natasha was ahead of him at the kitchen door and disappeared around the corner. Clint skidded to a halt to take in the scene. Juliette lying on the floor face down next to the window. Around her, signs of a fight, her knife, covered in blood was discarded on the floor. Clint picked it up, hoping it wasn't hers.

"Tasha?" Clint asked, crouching down next to her. There was no wound, no obvious reason why Juliette wasn't moving.

"She's alive," Natasha answered, her voice woodenly removed, she had fallen into mission mode, Clint noted. "She's barely breathing." He helped her shift Juliette into the recovery position.

"There's a medical suite downstairs," Tony called. "Pepper made me put one in. Jarvis, tell Bruce to meet us down there."

"He is on his way, sir." Clint lifted his partner up, wishing she had less muscle and was a light as she looked. The others made way for him as he carried her out.

"Now do you see our point?" Natasha snapped at Tony, and Clint didn't want to point out that she hadn't known about Hornet's threat until five minutes beforehand.

"Self-defence," Stark countered.

"We'll see when she wakes up." Steve's voice calmed them down as Clint stepped into the lift. The only space left was filled with Natasha immediately, leaving Phil with the bloody knife in his hands alongside the other two.