25 – First Mission – June 18th, 2012

Aspen had been training hard. Every muscle in her body had been protesting the last three weeks. Now she felt the residual pain, but she also felt fit. She'd cut her time on the obstacle course down to five minutes and forty seconds while Steve has cut his down to a minute and a half. She tried not to let that get to her. She was very good at stealth work and managed to pass Clint's rigorous training. Steve had learned to move silently though, to be fair, he'd already been able to do that considering how much more he weighed than Aspen. She'd learned that it wasn't in the weight but the balance. The hand-to-hand combat was a bit trickier. Steve had picked it up quickly, his fast reflexes and sharp mind able to both predict moves and figure out just how to incapacitate an enemy. Aspen was learning to use muscles she never had before. Clint told her to focus on her strengths and strength itself was not one of those. She was strong for someone her size, but she could never match a full-grown man. She was small, but she was also fast and lithe, Clint told her.

Eventually Clint put Steve and her back together in the ring, and they'd tested their skills on each other. Clint had allowed Aspen to put on a padded vest to protect herself somewhat from Steve's blows. He softened them as well, but he'd finally allowed himself to fight her. Aspen loved the thrill of it. She felt so powerful evading his blows and getting in a few of her own. She used both arms, brought up in front of her face to block his blows, relying on her full body to take the shock. She was confident she could bring down anyone other than a Super Soldier in a tight situation.

They'd done other training too. They'd practiced shooting and fighting with knives. Aspen had been put through a swimming course having only ever swum at the community center in Arizona. They learned skills in first aid and spent a lot of time going over made-up missions where they would strategize their way through. It was intensive work, and Aspen went to bed exhausted every night, but she also felt a sense of accomplishment. In a frightening world, she no longer felt afraid.

Clint had pulled them aside after their first training session to tell them what he had learned of his brother. "I tracked him as far as I could, but his trail went cold after the mansion. He worked in the FBI after the Army as you found out. He was hired to be a bodyguard to the criminal Marko. We know what happened there. That's where his trail goes cold. SHIELD has a file on him. I became an agent shortly after that and they took interest in him, but there's nothing further on Barney Barton."

"What about Trickshot?" Aspen had asked.

"The file on him wasn't that extensive. His real name was Buck Chisholm. He was a conman, as we already knew. He was on SHIELD's radar, but he was more of a nuisance than anything. He tended to con criminals, so they weren't too worried. Eventually his heavy drinking caught up to him, and he got liver cancer. He died of it."

"But his legacy lived on."

"After he died, and I saw the death records, a new Trickshot started committing crimes. At first it looked like it was a copycat criminal, but he was too good, better even. The cons weren't little things though like Chisholm's. He's crossed SHIELD a few times, but they haven't been able to touch him. He's like smoke. There's nothing substantial on him, no one has seen him properly, no one knows his name."

"Then how do you know it's your brother?" Aspen had asked him gently. Could he have mistaken someone else for his brother in Iceland? I'd been years since he'd seen him after all.

"I know my brother. I know it was him. And what he wore. It was very similar to what Trickshot wore in his acts. I traced his patterns. He tends to hit high profile criminals as well as the rich who happen to have artifacts his boss wants. Some of the stuff he's stolen is stuff SHIELD would feel much better having in its own vaults. I should be able to track him through his crimes. I was following his trail the last week. It dried up in Paris."

"You were in Paris? I thought you were on a mission for Fury."

"I was multi-tasking. He moves around a lot. But his clientele all have one thing in common."

"What's that?"

"They all have connections to a Baron Zemo."

Steve had started at that name. "Who's that?" Aspen asked, looking between Steve and Clint.

"An old enemy," Steve said. "But he couldn't still be alive. I don't think." He sounded unsure.

"An heir probably," Clint replied. "Carrying on the family tradition. He's a collector. He sends Trickshot in to steal the items he needs for his collection. I never found out what we were sent to steal in Marko's mansion, but I have a feeling it was something of otherworldly value."

"I bet anything left over from the battle would be valuable. A Chitauri weapon."

"SHIELD tried to collect all of them, but a few went missing. It's the sort of thing he'd like. Anything related to Hydra or World War II. He's obsessed with that era." He gave Steve a look. "What was the Zemo you met like?" he had asked.

"He owned a castle we infiltrated along the Danish border. He was one of the Nazi's top researchers. We didn't part on good terms. He was manipulative and liked to work behind the scenes rather than get his hands dirty. He came up with a lot of nasty stuff though."

"So how do we do this?" Aspen had asked.

"Give me a little more time," Clint had told them. "I'll find him."

Today when Aspen and Steve arrived for training, Clint was standing with two black backpacks. "We're going on a mission," he told them. "Everything you need is in the packs."

"We're going on a mission?" Aspen asked. She saw Clint's brow rise and knew he was not in the mood for stupid questions. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now," he said, the exasperation in his voice clear. He'd been gruff ever since he'd seen his brother."

"Okay. If you think we're ready."

"This isn't your first mission, Aspen," he said impatiently.

"Sort of. As a level four agent anyway. Are you going to tell us what we're doing?"

"I'll brief you on the plane." He dropped the bags at their feet and started toward the doors.

"What on earth is wrong with him?" Aspen asked with a frown, grabbing her backpack and shouldering it. She staggered under the weight. It wasn't heavy, just heavier than she'd expected. She'd always packed light on missions before. Her dart guns and some gear. What sort of mission was this?

Steve looked uneasy. "I'm not sure," he said. "I guess we'll find out."

Clint had never been short with her like that before, and Aspen wished he had told them where they were going or even that they were going on a mission before two seconds ago. Was this a test or something? She shrugged and followed after him, Steve at her side. Clint was headed to the quinjet hangar, and Aspen frowned. Quinjets meant a long journey otherwise they would have just taken a SHIELD vehicle. Clint picked one of the jets, bringing down the ramp and hopping onboard. He readying the jet for flight when Steve and Aspen walked up the ramp.

"Where are we going?" Aspen asked.

"Austria," Clint answered shortly. "Come on, we're on a tight schedule."

"What's in Austria?" Aspen asked, refusing to budge, she dropped her backpack on the floor where it clanked.

Clint frowned slightly. "Our mission. Strap in." He sat down in the pilot's seat. "And don't toss your bag around. I packed grenades."

"Grenades?" Aspen eyed the pack. "Are we blowing something up in Austria?"

"It's cautionary."

Aspen exchanged another glance with Steve before strapping herself in. Steve took the seat next to her, stowing his pack next to where she had dropped hers. No one was manning the doors to the hangar which Aspen thought was odd. Clint pressed a control button on the panel and the doors began to open.

"Do we get a briefing?" Aspen tried again. In reply, Clint tossed her a thick folder. She caught it before the papers spilled out and opened it. Everything SHIELD had on Trickshot and anyone involved with him lay within.

"We're going after him?" Aspen asked, looking down at a map marked with locations Trickshot had worked a job starting in the early 90s.

"The patterns lead to Austria," Clint said. "There's a private collector there by the name of Fabian Wagner. He lives in a castle on the outskirts of Eisenerz. Word is, he's in possession of a very powerful artifact, something whoever is pulling Trickshot's strings would want. Zemo most likely."

"What is the artifact?" Steve asked, looking down at the file. He pulled out a page on Zemo, a frown marring his face. Aspen read over the file.

Heinrich Zemo (1900–?)

Born in Leipzig, Germany

Known relatives: Helmut Zemo (deceased)

Nazi top scientist

Known allies: Red Skull, Hydra, Nazi Party, Arnim Zola

Abilities: Slowed aging due to Compound X, scientific genius, expert swordsman

The file went on to say he had disappeared. He was last seen in South America, but it was not known whether he was dead or alive. "This makes it seem like he might still be alive," Aspen said before Clint could answer Steve's question.

"It's possible."

"And he's collecting dangerous artifacts?"

"Wagner is in possession of a set of powerful moonstones. They have the ability to manipulate energy. Very dangerous in the wrong hands."

"And you think he's the one pulling your brother's strings?" Aspen asked.

"No, I'm not sure, but I'm sure Barney is headed here. We need to head him off."

"And then what?"

"Take him in and track down Zemo."

"This sounds big. Doesn't Fury want in on it?" Aspen asked. She saw Clint frown. "You didn't okay this mission with him, did you?"

"We'll be back by tomorrow," Clint told her. "You, me, and Rogers can more than handle this."

"Whatever you say."

"Look, I'm sorry for dragging you into this without a warning. We need to act quickly though, and I'm not sure Fury would agree this is top priority right now."

"Saving your brother or keeping Zemo from collecting these relics? Both sound important to me."

"He doesn't know about Barney. That he's still alive."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

Clint was silent for a long moment. "I'm not sure," he said finally. "I guess because Fury gave me a second chance when no one else would. I don't want to betray his trust, but I also don't want Barney treated like a common criminal, like an enemy."

"Fury would give him a second chance."

"Yeah? And what if Barney doesn't remember who he is?"

"Doesn't mean he's not still in there. He'll remember you."

"I hope you're right."

Clint fell silent, focusing on flying the quinjet. Aspen continued to read through the files. She could tell the idea that Zemo was still alive upset Steve. "What happened?" she asked. "With Zemo?"

Steve was quiet for a moment, then he said, "It was in Denmark in 1944. I was working with the Howling Commandos on taking out Hydra's research facilities. We came across a castle that had been overtaken by Schmidt's researchers and soldiers. Our mission was to infiltrate it and destroy the research labs, maybe capture some of Schmidt's scientists. It wasn't that easy though. The castle was like a labyrinth. You never knew what you were going to find. There were several research labs situated around the castle. I needed to take them out as well as some flak cannons that were firing at the Allies fighter planes trying to get in. At first Zemo presented himself as a friend. It was his castle that was being occupied. I think in some way he did despise Hydra at first but only because his own ambitions were first and foremost in his mind. He pretended to help me, but he showed his true colors, and a lot of good men nearly died. We left his castle in ruins, and his hatred for me caused me some trouble later on in the war. But last time I saw him, he was trying to save his work before it was destroyed in a fire. I thought he'd died."

"What's this Compound X?" Aspen asked.

"He invented it, used it to slow aging. It made him nearly immortal, not invincible though."

"Why does it seem like so many old enemies keep popping up?" Aspen asked.

"I guess no matter how far we leave the past behind, it can always find a way to catch up." It wasn't a comforting thought.

…

Aspen's first glimpse of Austria had her scrambling for a better view. Clint cast her an annoyed look as she leaned over his seat, gawking at the scenery.

"Hey, do you mind? This isn't a sight-seeing trip," he said grumpily. Aspen just slapped him on the arm, noting the tiny smile that crept onto one side of his face.

"I've never been out of the country save Germany that one time and a few missions where it was dark and I didn't see anything." She left out Iceland, and no one brought it up.

"Well, we're about to land. Sit back down," Clint said. "You can see Austria in a few minutes.

Aspen grudgingly sat down again, strapping herself back in. Clint angled the jet down toward a line of mountains, and Aspen gripped her seat. She knew Clint was a good pilot – better than good – but flying in a quinjet over a mountain range made her nervous. She saw that Clint was headed toward a small valley in between two of the mountain's arms. The bit of flat ground gave them a platform to land on, and Clint expertly did so with nimble fingers on the gears.

"Will they have seen us?" Aspen asked.

"Not with the shields up," Clint told her. "Same design as the Helicarrier. Keeps the locals from getting curious."

"So we're hiking down?" Aspen asked.

"I thought you wanted to see the scenery," Clint said, unstrapping himself and grabbing his backpack. His bow and quiver he stowed on his back. Steve hooked his shield onto the back of his suit, and Aspen shouldered her pack. "Do we need both backpacks?" she asked Clint. "Steve's already got his shield."

"One should do."

"So what's the plan?" Aspen asked as Clint lowered the ramp. "Or do we have a plan?" she added doubtfully.

"We look at the castle first and then form a plan," Clint said.

"You sound awfully confident," Aspen said, following him off the quinjet.

"Well it's not the first time I've gone in blind." He seemed intent on getting down to the castle, and Aspen had to hurry to keep up. She looked around her, taking in the rugged mountains and intimidating pine trees that surrounded them.

"You forget that I'm not used to going in blind. I've always had a dossier or something – a plan. Smuggling and intercepting smugglers is one thing, but this is completely different. I've never infiltrated a castle before."

"Aspen, you've practically single-handedly taken down a branch of A.I.M. You stole an artifact from Odin's vault. You fought in an alien invasion. I'm not worried about your abilities."

"Well, thank you, but-"

"Just give it a rest, Pen," Clint said wearily.

"You're the one who dragged us into this."

"Well I don't hear Rogers complaining."

Aspen shot Clint a petulant glare, pressing her lips shut to keep herself from retorting. If it was anyone else who had dragged her on this mission, she would shut up and do her job, but she knew Clint and wasn't afraid to question him or his choice to bring her into the mission. She needed to treat this like any other mission. This was her chance to prove that she could be an effective agent and what better way than to help Clint find his brother?

Aspen kept quiet, falling back to walk beside Steve as they started down the mountainside. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but Aspen could see his hesitance to speak out to Clint. His brow was furrowed, but he kept his lips shut tight as if forcing himself to keep quiet. He sent her a sympathetic look. Aspen felt a stab of frustration at Clint for having forced Steve into this too, well of course Steve had come willingly, but he was just taking orders. He could more than take care of himself, but this wasn't his mission. Clint was taking them into something both unknown and personal. Tensions were already running high, and Aspen knew he was liable to be touchy with his brother so close. At least when she'd gone after her parents, she'd given Steve a choice.

The mountainside got steep a ways down, and Aspen had trouble keeping her footing. Loose gravel trickled under her feet, and she stumbled more than once. Steve grabbed her elbow to steady her. Clint looked back, but Aspen motioned for him to keep going. The ground was in sight, and Aspen quickened her pace, eager to be on solid ground again. One moment she was taking a step forward, the next her feet slid out from under her, and she was falling toward the edge of the cliff. She grabbed the edge just as her body slid off the pathway. Dirt showered down on her, and she shut her eyes against it. For a moment her body hung suspended in mid-air, and she felt her finger slipping on the loose dirt. She dug in with her nails, but it did no good. Then a hand grasped her by the wrists, pulling her back up. A hand steadied her, and she looked up to see Steve, eyes practically blazing with worry.

"Are you okay?" Clint asked. She could hear the worry in his voice. When she turned to look at him she saw that his earlier irritation gone.

"I'm alright. Thanks for pulling me up," Aspen said, looking up at Steve. His brow was furrowed deeply, and his eyes danced with thoughts she couldn't discern. She'd almost fallen to her death. She realized in that moment that Steve had been reminded of Bucky falling. "I'm alright," she repeated softly. "I'll be a lot better when we get off this dratted mountain." Clint gave a nervous laugh, and Steve let go of Aspen. She brushed herself off, grimacing at the amount of dirt under her fingernails, and then started forward, keeping far away from the edge.

The rest of the journey down was uneventful much to Aspen's relief. When her feet met with the grass on the flat ground, she sighed. "Well that was fun. What next?"

Clint led them to where the castle was situated, holding up a hand to pause them when they had a visual. The castle was breathtaking, Aspen thought as they crouched down behind the low-lying bushes and brambles at the edge of the forest. Clint pulled out binoculars and started scoping out the castle.

"What's going on there?" Aspen whispered. She didn't know why she was whispering. They were still half a mile away, but she felt the need to whisper.

"Nothing. Two guards nine o'clock and three o'clock. Probably more inside."

"So are we getting the moonstones or getting your brother or keeping him from getting the moonstones or what?"

Clint was silent for a moment and Aspen wasn't sure if he was going to answer. "Hopefully stop anyone from stealing the moonstones and get Barney into our custody."

"And if he doesn't recognize you?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he said gruffly, not taking his eyes away from the binoculars. Aspen huffed and turned to Steve.

"I'm not sure that's entirely reassuring," she said. Neither Steve nor Clint replied to that, but Aspen could see the doubt in Steve's eyes. Neither of them liked going in blind. It wasn't like going into a mission last minute with minimal details – they were going into the unknown with a man who had no idea what they were going to do. Aspen knew that he was thinking of his brother – she would be too if it was her family on the line – but she also knew that having that sort of focus could blind you to a whole lot of other things. She and Steve would have to be Clint's eyes and ears because his focus was going to be on Barney, and Aspen had the feeling he wasn't going to be their only problem.

"Right. There's only one way we're going to be able to do this," Clint said, finally turning away. He offered Steve the binoculars. "We need to take down the guard on the west side and scale the wall to gain access from above. Once we're in, we take down security and find the moonstones. That's where Barney will be headed. We grab him and leave the way we came. If we're lucky, no one will even know we were there."

"There are about a hundred ways that could go wrong," Aspen told him.

"Well then do you have a better suggestion since you're so knowledgeable about these kinds of missions?" Clint shot at her. His words stung, but Aspen forced herself to stay calm.

"I'm just saying that it's a very 'best scenario' sort of plan. Shouldn't we plan for the worst?"

"You've got your dart guns, I've got my bow, Rogers has his shield."

"So basically we just beat everyone unconscious so our path is clear. You don't think he'll have any other security in place?"

Clint shut his eyes for a moment, and Aspen feared he was going to shout at her. "I just want him back, Pen," he said softly. She knelt down next to him and took his hands.

"Me too. You're basically my brother, so that makes him family too. I understand the value of family. But I want this to work. I just want to make sure we're going to be able to pull this off. I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I know, Pen. I'm sorry." He rubbed his eyes and then cleared his throat. "Okay. Aspen, you have your dart guns. You can take out the first guard from a distance. Those guns will shoot at a range that can keep you far enough away that you can stay out of sight."

"How far do I have?"

"See that boulder down there?" Clint pointed down the grassy terrain to a boulder about fifty yards from the castle. "There's your spot."

"How do I get there?"

"Remember your stealth lessons?"

"But he's at an advantage."

"True, but if you notice, he scans the whole western side of the castle, not just your path. I'll have the binoculars and call out for you to drop when he turns your way. It's going to be a game of don't be seen."

"And if I am?"

"Then I'll deal with him."

"Alright, so I shoot him with a dart, he goes down. Won't someone notice?"

"Believe it or not, I did take the time to research the castle before we came here."

"And you're just now telling us this?"

"Relax, Pen. The castle runs on a scan system. Each guard will have a scan card. It's not very state of the art for the valuable things he's hiding in there. It's like he never expected anyone to try and steal them. So we get in using the guard's scan card. No one should come by. They switch every four hours, and his shift just started."

"How did you learn all this?" Aspen asked, lifting a brow.

"Local intelligence. They've been monitoring Wagner for awhile now, waiting for anything untoward. The vault he keeps the moonstones in is more of a collection. It takes two security cards if he's not authorizing it. We should be able to find another guard along the way. Pretend like this is practice. Remember the stealth and the climbing wall and the crawling?"

"Not my fondest memories, but yes."

"It's just like that only someone might actually try to shoot you."

"Comforting. So why isn't Steve going in first instead of me? I mean, he did far better than me on every test."

"You're smaller and are less likely to be spotted. You also don't have a red, white, and blue shield strapped to your back."

"Fair point."

"We'll be right behind you once the guard is down."

"How do you know Barney hasn't already been here?" Aspen asked.

"He hasn't. The guards are acting like everything is fine. The minute those stones disappear, they'll know."

"But he's good at what he does. They might not. And anyway, if we're trying to keep him from stealing the stones why can't we just talk to Wagner in the first place and tell him we're going to prevent a burglary, can we please come in?"

"You think he'd just trust three foreigners who come striding up to his castle to protect his most valuable items?" Clint asked with a short laugh.

"Maybe."

"We stick to the plan. I have a tranq if Barney doesn't cooperate. I hate to use it, but I will if I have to. We go out the way we came in."

"Carrying Barney?"

"We'll manage."

"Alright. I think I'm ready." Aspen took a dart gun from the bag, strapping her belt on and placing it in its nook. She added a small dagger and a spare dart gun for good measure. The belt was stocked with other supplies such as a long cord that she could use for climbing if need be and a handy tool that messed with electrical devices. Clint took the binoculars back from Steve and positioned himself. Aspen left her backpack with them and got ready to bolt.

"Remember, stay low and don't move too quickly. Stealth isn't about speed; it's about staying out of sight. It's instinct to try to go as quickly as possible to get to a safe place but quick movement draws the eyes like nothing else. When I tell you to drop, do so without hesitation. The key to not being seen is not presenting anything to be seen. The tiniest bit of movement can alert a well-trained guard to your presence. Stay still."

Aspen nodded, swallowing back her fear. "Got it."

"Good luck," Steve told her, resting a hand on her shoulder for a moment. She gave him a grateful nod and then focused on the boulder down below. It suddenly seemed miles away.

"Get ready. And go." Aspen ran for it, keeping her pace smooth and even and focusing on not losing her balance. She had gone about halfway to the rock when she heard an insistent 'drop!' from her earpiece. She fell to the ground and lay still, heart trumpeting loudly in her chest. She felt like Frodo crossing the desolation of Mordor, Sauron's eye roving above her. She could almost feel the heat of it above her, but then it was gone and Clint was telling her to move again.

Her hands met with the rough side of the rock, and she realized she'd made it. "Good job. Now stay down and wait until you have a clear shot. The targeting mechanism will do the rest."

"What, don't think I can make the shot?" Aspen asked a little breathlessly. She took aim, squinting at the guard high above her on the castle's turret. From up close the castle looked even bigger, each stone in the wall bigger than her. The guard's eyes were over her head, looking toward the woods. Aspen fired. The dart went straight toward the guard, whizzing between the stones along the wall of the parapet and embedding itself into the guard's chest. She saw him fall but couldn't hear it. She hoped no one else had. "He's down," she said, scanning the perimeter. "It's clear."

"We're coming," Clint's answer came. Aspen waited while they made their way to her, keeping her eyes set on the castle, expecting another guard to come running, but Clint's plan was working smoothly so far much to her surprise. She heard them reach her side.

"So far so good." Clint drew his bow and picked an arrow, setting it with a special tip before notching it. He drew back and shot. The arrow became a grappling hook as it flew, and notched itself over the parapet giving them a way up.

"This is worse than wall climbing," Aspen said. She'd always been horrible at climbing ropes even in elementary school when it was just a part of P.E. and the rope had been five feet long.

"It'll be fun," Clint said, patting her on the back. He moved forward. Aspen and Steve exchanged a glance before following. The rope seemed to go on into eternity as Aspen gazed up at it. "Ladies first."

"Really?" she shot a glare at Clint. "It'll take me forever, you know."

"I'll just push from below if you go too slowly," he told her.

"Very funny." Aspen slid her dart gun into her belt and placed her hands on the rope. Pretending that she weighed nothing, she began to climb, using the rough stone wall as support for her feet. It really wasn't so bad and she made good time, peering over the parapet wall before throwing her weight over it and landing softly on the stone pathway. The guard lay unconscious before her, and she checked his pulse before grabbing his scan card. Clint and Steve pulled themselves up a few moments later, and Aspen waved the card in front of them. "We're in," she said.