AUTHORS'S NOTE:

Thanks so much to those who've followed and Favorited this story.

-Indigene Syke

Disclaimer: haha :P

Merlin frowned behind his tree. There were only two of them. He and his magic could easily take them. But he preferred to forgo the use of his powers to retain his relative anonymity. So, raising his hands, he carefully stepped out from behind the tree.

"What do you want?" he called cautiously.

Natasha and Clint moved forward slowly, bodies tense and weapons ready. "We want to ask you some questions," Natasha said, flicking her bright red hair over her shoulder. "Answer them, and you can go on your way."

Merlin nodded slowly. "All right," he said, slowly. "Ask away."

"What's your name?" Clint asked.

"I'm Michael Nyes," Merlin said, using one of his older pseudonyms. (If Merlin remembered correctly, the last time he had used the name had been in 1801 when he had worked as a small-time grocer.)

Natasha studied the man before her closely, watching for the telltale signs of lying. It annoyed her when she couldn't get a proper read on him. Merlin had perfected the art of deception long ago. He'd had to; if people had known who he was in Camelot, he would've been killed.

"So, Michael," Natasha said evenly, flashing white teeth in a smile. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Merlin, in turn, studied Natasha. She seemed familiar. She was one of the Avengers, he realized. The Black Widow, he thought. Which meant her companion must be the archer, Hawkeye.

Merlin chose his words carefully. "I'm a hitchhiker. I have a cottage on the outskirts of the nearest town. I have several cabins in America. I travel a lot. I'd just finished up my dinner at that lake back there and I was hiking back when you two buffoons started threatening me!"

"But why this lake?" Natasha stressed, ignoring the insult.

Merlin wrinkled his eyebrows. "Why any lake? Because I wanted to! That's why!"

Clint hid his smirk at the man's attitude. "Have you seen anything strange around here?" he asked.

Merlin shook his head again. "Nothing," he told them. "Can I go now?" In the back of his head, Merlin wondered why two Avengers were out hiking in the backwoods of Britain. The rest of his brain was concentrating on not getting shot, and by extension, making sure his magic didn't go absolutely mad if he did.

Clint grinned sharply. "Don't lie to us, Nyes," he said threateningly.

"I am not lying!" Merlin said indignantly. "I went to the lake, I ate my dinner, and I left. Simple as that." Technically, Merlin wasn't lying. He was just leaving a few things out.

Natasha sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought. They really didn't have anything to hold this guy on. She signaled Clint to back off. "Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Nyes," she told Merlin. "If you see anything strange, contact the police, and it will get to us. Come on, Clint, let's go."

Clint nodded, but kept his arrow nocked. "Thanks," Clint said, flashing a wink at a confused Merlin. "See you later."

Merlin nodded briskly and moved quickly away. He glanced over his shoulder at the two dark figures. They were both staring after him. Merlin shuddered. An icy feeling swept down his spine. Something strange was coming. Something big. He could feel it.

Natasha and Clint stared after Michael Nyes. Something was off about him. Natasha's razor-sharp instincts told her so. "That guy was weird," Clint said. "I think he was lying. Or at least withholding the truth."

Natasha nodded thoughtfully. "We should get Stark to internet-stalk that guy. But first we should go check out the lake. Maybe we'll find something."

Clint led the way, grabbing a flashlight from his backpack. The trees were ghostly black shadows in the gathering dusk. The beam from his flashlight cut through the gloom. They slipped quietly through the woods, pale moonbeams glinting against the water of the lake.

Clint and Natasha stepped out of the forest onto a grassy beach. Directing the flashlight toward the ground, Clint examined the dirt. There were footprints and small patches of grass that had been compressed, like someone had sat there.

"Look at this," Natasha said, shining a flashlight of her own on the ground. She squatted beside two sets of footprints on the ground. One set was noticeably larger than the other. "There were two people here," she said.

"Who was the other person?" Clint asked, frowning at the prints.

"How should I know?" Natasha asked, standing. She followed the smaller footprints down to the water. Where they abruptly ended. "Clint, look at this. These footprints just end in the water. There's a set coming out, but they came before the set going in."

Clint shook his head. "I don't have an answer, Nat. But we should head back to the tower and report."

"Wait just a minute," Natasha said. She pulled out the dead sensor and tapped the screen. It flickered and crackled, flashing to life with a burst of static. Natasha grinned and checked the readings. "Wow. The energy readings at this place are off the charts. Something big happened here."

Clint's stomach twisted. Something bad was coming. "We need to get out of here," he whispered to Natasha. "We can come back later if we need to, but right now, we need to get out of here, and get back to the tower."

Natasha's head snapped up at the sound of her partner's distress. She nodded quickly. "Lead the way," she invited, stowing her gear.

Clint ran as fast as he could through the dark trees, with Natasha following. Clint didn't know what was going on at the lake, but his gut told him that it was dangerous.

Back at the lake, the water seemed to be fighting with itself. White and black light rippled through the water, creating swirling waves that smashed against each other, each trying to pound the other into submission. A swell of dark water took the form of an ethereal woman. The black water swirled, and crashed into the white waves, snuffing out the glow.

A vortex of turbulent water formed. The whirlpool glowed with smoke. The tiny pinpricks of light from the stars dissolved into blackness.

Hiking through the woods, already several miles away, Merlin felt a wash of black magic. He gasped, and fell to his knees, tears stinging his eyes. Merlin couldn't seem to find air. Choking and gasping, he fell forward into the leaves, unconscious.