Crawling through the ventilation system was not Clint Barton's idea of a fun day out. He hated being anywhere enclosed much preferring the freedom of open spaces. Here he felt like a rat in a trap. Inching further along the shaft, he stopped by a vent. Far below on the main floor Red Pole was pacing back and forth, his robe billowing behind him. The minion he was berating in machine gun Chinese visibly cowered as the enforcer strode towards him. Pulling the mask from his face, he threw it across the floor as his barrage increased. The henchman averted his eyes.

His back to Hawkeye, the agent could only focus on the nearly bald, scarred head. As the Triad turned, Clint felt his stomach turn. The weeping sores and scars confirmed his worst nightmares about chemical weapons.

'I might actually start to feel a little sorry for the guy.' He thought. 'Or then again maybe not.' He continued to creep along the ducts.

Several wrong turns later, Clint was in a duct directly above the reception room. Checking the coast was clear he eased the grill from its housing and dropped silently to the floor. The room was gaudy to say the least. Glancing around the sumptuous surroundings and ornate wall coverings it seemed completely at odds with the impossible situation. Lifting a tiger and cub statue he scowled at its ugliness.

A noise outside the door made him freeze. Someone was coming in. Fortunately, the cluttered room held plenty of places to hide. He chose a wall sized tapestry depicting the Boxer Rebellion.

As Hannah walked back into the reception room she wrung her hands and sighed. Not for the first time since the mission began she longed for her desk in the records office.

'Hey.' A voice said making the blonde jump. She glanced around nervously.

'Over here.' It whispered.

The tapestry was lifted to reveal the very welcome sight of Clint Barton. Just as she was about the throw herself gratefully upon him, the door opened once more and her saviour instantly concealed himself.

Hannah stood nervously as Red Pole stormed into the room, his uncovered face full of rage. She turned away in repulsion. Clicking his fingers, the Triad indicated that she should look at him. Feeling braver with Barton in the room she managed to hold his gaze as he approached.

'What do you have for me?' He snapped.

Keeping her eyes firm, Hannah sniffed trying to stifle her terror.

Reaching out, Red pole took her face roughly in his diseased hand and forced her face close to his. 'I asked you a question.'

'Nothing.' She squeaked.

'You mean you have been unable to discover whatever the Black Widow is plotting? Have you not been watching her, have you not been questioning her? I offered you your freedom and yet you have reported nothing?' He demanded.

'I mean I don't think she is planning anything.' Hannah responded, her voice for once not faltering.

'You do realise that I could simply break your neck and not even realise I had done it?' Red said almost conversationally.

Her chin still held firmly in his grasp, she nodded as best she could. The terror was starting to grow in her eyes.

'So try again. What is the Black Widow planning and how will Barton be involved?'

'I swear to you.' She pleaded. 'Agent Romanoff has abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Barton. She really is willing to work for you!'

Pushing Foster away, the Triad clasped his hands behind his back and strode back and forth. 'You informed me that she and Barton were inseparable, yet now you are trying to tell me that she would turn her back on him without a second thought?'

Hannah wrapped her arms around herself, rocking slightly. 'I... I don't know. Agent Barton seemed to be the only one she was... human with... the way they are together... perhaps it was just an act?'

'Who can say the fickleness of the female... ?' He levelled his gaze at her, 'you believe Barton may be in love with her or is it really you who is his Achilles heel and you are attempting to protect him?'

Foster squirmed, aware that Hawkeye was hearing every word.

Red crossed the distance between them, his voice low. Clint strained to hear. 'I do not think you know nearly as much as you led me to believe Agent Foster. In fact, I am beginning to think you may have been economical with the truth. Whilst I certainly find it hard to conceive that Barton would risk all for you, including his partner. I am beginning to think the evidence points that way.' He pinched her cheeks in a claw hand. 'Are you, I wonder, cleverer than I thought? That you would swear Barton's lover was Agent Romanoff in order I bring her here to assist you? It would be delicious to simply kill you and find out if you are the key. Perhaps I shall eventually...'

Hannah flinched. With a loud cackle Red pushed her away and strode from the room leaving the girl visibly shaking.

From his vantage point Clint frowned. He could possibly understand the junior agent doing anything she could to get assistance. He had to concede it was a clever plan. With Foster's limited experience there was no way she would have the skills to get herself out of this situation on her own. Natasha, on the other hand, the infamous Black Widow, this kind of thing was an everyday occurrence. In Red Pole's paranoid and obviously psychotic state, it would have been easy to plant the idea that the Triad had captured the wrong woman. His disgust at Hannah's apparent betrayal began to subside although it was tinged with guilt that he had immediately assumed her betrayal. Perhaps Natasha was right about affections clouding your judgement. He had to consider the real possibility that he had irrationally blamed Foster for dragging the woman he loved into this, albeit a woman who had a considerable body count in her history.

To actually form the idea into words, albeit only in his mind, gave Clint something of a jolt. He was in love with Natasha and probably always had been. It wasn't that anything had changed between them, not really. He still felt exactly the same about her as he did before the kiss, the only difference was now it wasn't just an unspoken assumption... it was a fact.

Shaking himself, Clint decided to put it out of his mind for now. Not that he would ever admit it to her, but Tash's instincts were spot on once again. The girl needed to be removed as soon as possible for her own safety and that is exactly what he was going to focus on.

As he stepped out from behind the tapestry Hannah was trying to hold back tears. 'I'm so sorry.' She cried. 'I didn't know what else to do. I thought he would kill me... now Agent Romanoff... and she won't help me... and... and...' She broke down into terrified sobs.

Crossing the room Barton put his arms awkwardly around her; she immediately leant into his chest taking great breaths as she tried to control her emotions.

'I've made such a terrible mess.' She mumbled into his shoulder.

With one hand he made comforting circles on her back. He stared straight ahead uncomfortably, really not sure what to do to make the tears stop.

'It's going to be o.k.' He said eventually. 'You're going to be all right.'

Hannah nodded against his shoulder. The tears seemed to have subsided but she seemed in no hurry to release her grip. Prizing her fingers loose he looked into her tearstained face. 'We need to get you out of here now?'

Nodding, Hannah tried to smile in gratitude. 'But I am going to need you to trust me.'