Chapter 35: Clint's Farmhouse

"Don't be stupid, if I was going to kill you I'd have done it already." Clint kept his bow leveled at Berny. "Let me in before you lose the element of surprise. Or shoot me. Again. Your choice." Berny pushed the crossbow aside after a moment and quickly stepped in, closing the door on John Ryker's corpse behind him. Clint was dumbfounded. He'd been prepared to subdue his brother or dry trying, now he was here and all Clint could think to do was grab him and pull him into a tight hug.

Berny shoved him back with a scowl, "Let's get this straight. We aren't friends. Just because I'm not killing you, doesn't mean I don't hate you."

"I'm just glad to see you- alive," Clint was unphased by Berny's rejection. His brother, his dead baby brother, and they weren't fighting.

"Hold on, they're talking about some plan, it could change a few things... Wait for my cue!" he held up a hand to silence Clint and spoke into an earpiece.

"Why are you helping us?" Banner realized something suddenly, "You killed those kids in New York!"

"Damn straight," Berny nodded, "if I didn't, Morris would have found someone else, and as to your first question- I just spent nearly half my life in prison. What you need to know about people like me is that we'll say anything to get out, and do anything to stay out. Morris is a puffed-up ass with that "Emperor of the Galaxy" bullshit, he can't pull this off, even with his little dream-team. I'd rather not have to look over my shoulder for the surviving Avengers or SHIELD agents the rest of my life. Now, I just killed John Ryker for you. I won't kill Clint because he's my bargaining chip- trust me until this ends, then let me go my own separate way in peace. Take it or leave it." he grabbed Clint's crossbow and once again held it to his forehead.

"He's telling the truth," Inessa's voice came from the landing. Banner turned, Clint didn't. "I'm good at telling when people are lying. He lied when he said he didn't believe Morris could win, but he did when he said he'd help and let Clint go."

There were a few tense heartbeats, then Clint nodded. Berny let go of the bow and flashed a grin at Inessa. "You, my dear, look just like your mother. I'd appreciate it if you consider your grandfather's untimely demise as repaying of a debt I owed her. She saved my life once upon a time."

"She was a monster. You should have killed her."

Berny smiled, "What does that make you?"

"A better monster."

"Good answer," he nodded appreciatively, then put a hand to his earpiece again, "Give me a second!" he hissed. "What's the plan?" this question was directed at Clint.

Clint was happy to see his brother. He wasn't dumb. Clint activated his own comm unit, "Steve, Berny's on our side for this fight."

"You sure?" he sounded adequately suspicious.

"He killed John Ryker. I think he's sincere, so does Inessa."

"So," Bucky's voice this time, Clint braced for snark and a bit of fighting, "the only person in this fight less stable than myself and the man's big brother who only found out he was alive a few hours ago? That's who we're trusting to decide loyalties?"

"That's right," Steve again, "I'm going to side with them, and you're going to pull your head out of your ass because it doesn't work so well as a hat."

Clint turned off his comm while the two continued in their little fight, "Do you know anything about how to break Morris' hold on Steve and Bucky?"

Berny shrugged, "I never even saw the creatures. He brought them with him."

Clint nodded and re-activated the comm. He interrupted the continuing argument, "We'll provide cover fire for anyone fighting around the farmhouse. Tazer arrows only for Berny." his brother grinned and removed his quiver. He exchanged it for half a dozen shock-arrows from Clint's. "Nessie, you're going to stay by us and keep working damn hard on that frequency. The second you feel it even starting to give, make your move," he was vague about the plan, but it was intentional. He loved his brother. He didn't necessarily trust him.

"Tell Stark that Sin knows the weak points on the Suit. Don't let her get within thirty feet of him with those knives. The girl is psychotic." Clint relayed Berny's message while Banner quickly patted him down for hidden weapons. He, for one, would be keeping a close eye on their new 'ally'.

"I'm still not comfortable with this-" Banner glared at Berny, "until I know for sure you're on our side, I'm not letting you fight with us or against us." he was prepared to Hulk-out if need be.

Berny merely smiled and hit his own comm, "Everyone, we have a problem!"

"What is it?" Morris was on edge, this could push him over.

He winked to Banner, "Someone betrayed us- they've got our entire lineup, names, faces, everything!"

"WHAT?!" Morris screamed. Bucky heard the echo from his shout over in the loft- Morris was somewhere in the East field. "WHO?!"

"Me." Berny popped out his earbud and tossed it to Banner to listen to the curses streaming from it before the line was severed. "Now we're on the same side. You all go down, I'm not far behind. We have a reason to fight together."

Banner considered it, then nodded. Clint took a deep breath, looked to his brother, and gave the signal to the other Avengers, "We all survive this, beer's on me."

"We're going to need something stronger," Tony came up on comms.

"Whatever you want," he latched the crossbow back into his ankle holster. He looked to Banner, "Have Hulk help wherever he can, but steer clear of Cul and Thor, got it?"

"I can't promise he'll listen, but I'll try."

"Best we can hope for." Clint nodded to him and Banner began moving to the back door. Natasha would lure Albatross out into the open when she broke out of the study windows and into the back yard. He cracked his neck, "No more hesitating, GO!"

Tony blasted from the barn in a spray of bullets and small missiles. He hoped to kill Sin with a lucky shot- but at the very least he'd take giving her a splinter. A nasty one. Something slammed into his back and he twisted to dislodge whatever debris caught him. The explosion was the signal for the other Avengers to get into position.

From the roof of the barn Thor released a ring of lightning to fry anything within ten feet of the barn- a second diversion after Tony's escape. Bucky dove out of the window as soon as the bolts stopped and booked it for the eastern end of the barn. He wasn't allowed to go after Morris, but based on the echo he had a good idea where he was- and presumably where the transmitter was. The sooner he got to them and deactivated the lot, the sooner he could have a few words (or fists) with Steve about his attitude.

"So, this is Thor, son of Odin," Cul was behind Thor on the roof. He wheeled around to face his uncle, hammer already winding up.

"Cul, son of Bor, you were sentenced to an eternity in the deepest cells of Asgard for your crimes against the Icari'i people and the Valkyrie homeworld. Return willingly or I will kill you."

Cul chuckled, "The Icari'i? I'd almost forgotten them. They were quite delicious. The power they gave me- so far humans aren't nearly as filling, they're too short-lived. Oh, but they breed like Bilgesnipe, so perhaps it will all balance in the end." He nodded to Mjolnir, "It's nice of you to bring me my old weapon," he held out a hand. Thor felt Mjolnir hum, vibrate in his hand, then go still as it rejected the summons. Cul snarled, "Odin!" he dove for Thor.

Sam appeared from the shadows of the farmhouse balcony. While Bucky ran eastward, Sam flew to the west. He glanced across the farm as he took off and saw something peculiar, "Tony? You've got someone on your back!"

"I was wondering where the little scamp was," Tony suddenly began to spin mid-air, trying to throw Sin from his suit, "I've got this! Kill the transmitters or call if you need help!" Sam didn't wait for a second order. The battles with Sin and Albatross were secondary to the war with Cul.

Steve had been waiting in Clint and Natasha's room- the only spot where the roof slope was gentle enough for their plan. The door opened behind him and Inessa ran in with Berny and Clint, "Hurt them, and I will rip you into small pieces very slowly," Steve made sure Berny understood him before he smashed the window with his shield, grabbed the curtain rod, and waved Clint over. He took his friend's arm and swung around- throwing Clint up onto the roof. He did this twice more for the other two before jumping to the ground and running off into the dark, "You're all alone, Nat. Get Albatross into the yard, the Bartons will wipe him out."

"That might be tough," Natasha was facing her old ally in the middle of the downstairs hallway. He'd popped through the window before Clint gave the signal for her to make the same move. So far Albatross wasn't put off in the least by her newer stature- every move she made he matched or countered in complete silence. Natasha raised her batons to block an upper strike and absorbed a second blow to the stomach- barely. It was like when she'd fought Bucky in DC over a year ago- a hit from a supersoldier felt like a blow from a sledgehammer. She was faster- a benefit of her smaller, leaner build, but he was certainly stronger.

Even her thigh-grip (or "Human Stairmaster" as Tony dubbed it) didn't work. Natasha used Albatross' hip and arm as leverage to wind her way onto his shoulders, but before she could pull the garrotte from her wrist-holder or lock legs around his neck he tipped backwards and slammed into the floor, pinned her with his neck and shoulders, then flipped so he was sitting on her chest. Natasha kicked out, hit him in the neck, and she was free- but not without significant pain in her torso and thigh. The unnatural maneuver sprained something at best- tore it at worst.

Thor spun the hammer into Cul's jaw, but his Uncle simply used the strike to launch himself to the ground. As he dove to match Cul's footing, Thor arced as much lightning as Mjolnir could channel. The light washing over the scene was blinding. Clint, Berny, and Inessa on the roof ducked down and covered their eyes- they couldn't afford to loose sight in this battle.

A massive roar deafened them next- the Hulk was joining the party, for better or worse they didn't know. Straddling the change as long as he had cost Banner something in the switch- Hulk decided 'Steer clear of Cul and Thor' was a vote of no-confidence in his abilities. He'd set them straight. Before the lightning cleared he was diving into it to pummel Cul into the ground. They couldn't kill him, but Hulk was no puny human- he could smash Cul into the ground like a rock- trap him that way.

"What's happening?" Steve demanded, unsettled by the roar he'd heard.

"Hulk vs god," Tony spared a glance as he slammed back-first into the barn- damn bitch was proving hard to shake and her little knives were severing some big wires in the suit- he'd lost weapons and function in his right leg.

"HULK- NO!" Steve shouted, panicked, "HULK- THROW, NOT SMASH! CUL CAN TAKE YOU!"

"So we give up a damned good advantage? We don't even know if Cul could possess Hulk! HULK- HELP THOR!" Bucky knew Steve was right- but he'd be damned if he was going to admit it.

"NEGATIVE! HULK- STAND DOWN!"

Hulk ignored puny men, bickering as always. Somewhere deep in his mind, Banner wondered if those two were angrier than Hulk.

"I'll help once I've finished up," Sam finally spotted a clod of loose dirt and dove down. He landed hard and scraped at the hard earth desperately. "You better be shallow," his hands began to shiver, then tremble. It wasn't nerves or adrenaline- something was happening. A few more swipes through the dirt confirmed it- the transmitter was burrowing. He found a perfectly circular hole in the harder earth, angling slightly back towards the farm. It was too narrow to reach down, and it was filling as the object drilled towards the farmhouse.

"Steve, we've got a problem!"

"I think I know!" Steve was standing over another hole.

Bucky turned immediately and ran back for the farm. "Stark, I'm coming to you! The transmitters are burrowing towards your location. Run a scan for underground structures while I distract Sin!"

"GET THE HELL BACK INTO POSITION!" Steve took off on a perpendicular path to grab the damned idiot. He snagged a small steel bar from the fence and ripped it up and away from the barbed wire. Maybe it was time to beat sense back into him.

"STAY CLEAR!" Thor roared. The lightning had cleared to reveal Cul standing next to a gray, shriveled Hulk. He braced as Hulk roared and dove for him. For every swing that connected with Hulk, he lost precious moments to defend against Cul, who attacked in earnest now. The only thing working for Thor was that Cul wouldn't enslave him just to kill him- it was dishonorable. He had to keep his uncle fighting long enough for the others to stop the transmitters.

Hulk's skin arced with blue lightning as Berny and Clint opened fire with tazer-arrows. Cul released his new pet from the fight and Hulk jumped. From the edge of the sparring ring to the roof he flew, roaring.

"Sorry, lass!" Berny grabbed Inessa and shoved her from the roof just before Hulk landed where she'd been squatting. The roof shattered. Inessa scrambled for something to grab onto, but only managed to slow her descent as the farmhouse buckled and the porch started to give way. She screamed as a splintered board caught her ribs, leaving a long, bloody slash as she fell. She blacked out for a moment and lay stunned on the ground, staring up at a bloody strip of skin hanging above her. Hulk continued forward to the other side of the house and dove into the darkness after the retreating archers- he was much slower with Cul sapping his strength.

"Change of plans!" Sam hovered over the battlefield, "We can't just turn the transmitters off, we don't have time! I'm going to blast them and we'll just hope Inessa can hold him off from the other side!"

Berny ran next to Clint. He glanced behind and swore, "I'd better survive this!" he had an idea as to where the transmitters were going- a massive, central, echo-ie basin. Hulk was too close, it wasn't going to be fun. He stopped running abruptly, Clint never even saw it, and slammed his hand into the ground. Quickly, he reached out with his abilities, felt for the constant hum of the rock over the din of pounding feet ranging from tiny to massive. "THE MAIN SQUARE BEHIND THE HOUSE- THAT'S WHERE THE TRANSMITTERS ARE HEADING! BLAST YOUR WAY IN AND KEEP SHOOTING, THEY'RE ALMOST THERE!" he barely got the sentence out before Hulk grabbed him and threw him as hard as he could back at the farmhouse in the distance- all without breaking stride.

Natasha and Albatross were trapped in the kitchen by the destruction. A heavy-looking beam blocked the porch door, and there was no time to scramble out the smashed windows unless she could stun him somehow. Natasha clicked on the electricity in the baton and swung it at Albatross' head. He hooked her arm, dodged the sparking end, and slammed the handle repeatedly into the side of her head- breaking her jaw and destroying the embedded comm (which was now embedded in bone). Natasha's eyes rolled involuntarily. She managed to tip the other baton back towards him as he geared up for one more slam into the side of her head. The baton connected, electricity coursed through one into the other. Natasha's muscles locked. Neither she nor Albatross could even hear when Berny came flying through the window and slammed into the two of them- knocking both into the wall. The move broke the connection between them and the baton- but it also broke the stove. Unconscious and unaware, the three were slumped around the room as it filled with natural gas.

Outside, Sam took a deep breath and glanced to Thor. His nose was broken and his face was bloody under the relentless assault from Cul. Inessa was lying on her back on the porch, trying to force herself to stand. Tony- who appeared to still be fighting Sin- looked like he only had one arm and leg working. She was diving around him faster than he could manage with his damaged suit. The red girl jumped onto the live side of the suit and began ripping out plates and slicing at wires with superhuman speed and strength. The helmet went dark- dead.

He couldn't see Bucky and Steve in the chaos, but judging by the grunting and shouts over comms they were fighting. It was time for a desperate measure. Sam primed the weapons on the wings. Two weapons control units on his wrists activated and small pads appeared- four keys each- each key controlling a section of the wing weapons. Sam began to spin, mirroring Tony's corkscrew from earlier. As he spun faster and faster, he drummed randomly on the keypad. The faster he spun, the tighter the beams shooting from the wings were grouped. He increased the rate of descent as much as he could- they didn't have time for anything else. He hoped it was enough.

Thor looked over just before Sam hit and slammed his Hammer into the ground as hard as he could, allowing Cul another shot to his head. The shockwave coupled with the deepening crater to crack the Earth. It started as a tremble in the ground, then a shake. Cul backed up to brace himself as Thor did the same. With a colossal wrench, the ground began to drop away into the ancient tunnels deep beneath the farm.

Dust and dirt exploded from the holes as fifty-foot thick sections of earth crumbled into the ancient reservoir beneath the farm. Sam couldn't hear after the first couple seconds, but he kept spinning and shooting as the rock fell and he descended into the chaos. He slowed his rate, allowed the beams to shoot out in wider waves as he descended. Tony's suit tumbled in on top of a large slab, but it was limp- lifeless. Sin had run clear of the destruction, but now she followed her pray down dangerously shifting and tumbling rocks to make the killing blow.

In the chaos, Sam didn't know if the transmitters were destroyed, or simply even more impossible to find. He stopped the assault, too dizzy to notice or help Tony, and looked up. Through the dust and debris he couldn't see much. He'd been deafened by the quake. Sam closed his eyes against the warping and spinning vision and did the only thing he could do for the moment- he said a quick prayer for luck. It was only quick because he'd gotten so far as "Dear God, please-" before Steve struck Bucky across the head with his bit of steel fence, knocked him into the pit, and the Winter Soldier in turn knocked Sam out of the air.

"THOR!" Inessa ignored the cold pain in her ribs as the ground gave way and Sam vanished. She covered her ears, not that it helped against the massive roar. By some miracle the farmhouse wasn't included in the new crater. She felt the walls of the Valley stronger now, but she couldn't open a door- just barely. A little more and she could open the door wide, "WE NEED TO FLY!"

Cul tackled Thor before he could recover and grabbed him by the throat. The time for honor was over. Thor swung Mjolnir into Cul's pelvis, immensely grateful the Warriors Three were not there to witness it. Cul dropped his nephew and stumbled, surprised. Inessa held the wound on her side closed and ran for Thor. She jumped onto his back as Cul recovered, hooked a thin arm around his throat, and latched onto his mid-section with her legs. Thor wound up the hammer, grabbed Cul by the forearm, and shot into the sky like a bullet.

When the air grew too cold, the oxygen started thinning, and the farm was a pinprick beneath them, the doors to the Valley snapped open and the three were swallowed by shadow. At the same time Sam said his quick prayer (or at least tried to), Inessa said one too for them, then slammed the doors behind them.

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THREE

I intend to finish "Project Echo- Part 2" tonight!