Hey guys! sorry for the long update (again). Been super busy, but I finally got around to writing another chapter. So enjoy! Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.
Chapter Thirteen: Captain America
"I need you to blow the compound." I feel like I've been hit by a freight train with the weight of his words. My heart drops into my stomach and it takes me a moment to find my voice. Trying to be optimistic, I offer a nervous reply.
"Sure. Just let me know as soon as your clear." I hold my breath waiting for his reply.
"I'm not gonna get clear, Steve. There's not enough time." My breath catches in my throats and I shake my head, anger filling me at the his request.
"There's always enough time, Clint! I'm not blowing that place with you still in it!" My breathing has become ragged and I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't do this, I can't leave him in there. If I blow the compound it'll kill him. My thoughts are a whirlwind of possible solutions and I only catch parts of what Clint is telling me.
"They'll never stop chasing us Cap, you know that. We have to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt." Before I can speak Tony cuts in.
"There's gotta be another way. The tracker in your comm. shows that you're a quarter mile from the exit. You can make that easy." Stark's voice is pleading and I can feel the dread setting into my soul. Barton's heavy breathing is coming out in desperate gasps and I can tell he's slowing down. I'm not sure how much longer he can hold out.
"I can't... make it, Stark. You have to blow it before any of them have the chance to...to escape." Tony, refusing to accept it, continues to defy Clint's wishes.
"But Clint." Barton interrupts him.
"No, Stark! No more excuses. I need you to do this! I can't let them get away again!" I'm about to butt in, but suddenly Natasha's voice breaks into the conversation.
"Clint, don't do this." Her voice is weak, it shakes with every word. "I can't lose you, Clint, not again." I turn so that I'm now facing her. The girl is leaning heavily against Bruce as she struggles to stand on her injured leg, her face pale from blood loss. Sweat pours down her face from the effort it's taking to simply stand. Even with her face already drenched, I don't miss the single tear spill down her cheek. I'm snapped out of my daze when Clint begins speaking again.
"Nat, I love you." With those simple words I watch the world's most deadly assassin crumble. Her knees buckle and she sinks to the floor, dragging poor Bruce down with her. My gut wrenches when I see the pain she's in.
"I love you too." Her voice is barely above a whisper and I almost miss her statement, but I know Clint heard it because as soon as it's left her mouth, he's speaking again.
"Blow it." My hands ball into fists around the Quinjet controls and a take a deep, ragged breath. My palms are sweating and all of my muscles are tense. I can't do this. I can't do this. Images flash through my mind. Bucky falling from the train, Loki killing Coulson, Peggy on her death bed. Friends that I've lost. My whole body is shaking. "They'll never stop chasing us, you have to stop them before anyone else gets hurt." Clint's words echo through my mind. Dread fills me as I slowly realize that he's right, they won't stop. They'll kill every one of us and anyone else who gets in their way. Barton doesn't want that on his conscience, doesn't want any more blood on his hands. My heart drops into my stomach when I realize what I have to do.
"I'm sorry." I whisper. Before I can change my mind, I fire the missile at the compound and watch in horror as the structure collapses.
"No!" Natasha screams. She puts her head in her hands and sobs while the others stand stock still in shock. Even through their pain I can tell that they knew this was the only way, that they knew I had no other choice. But that doesn't make it any easier. The second I released that missile, I signed my team mate's death warrant. I killed Clint Barton.
The Quinjet lands with a thud next to giant pile of rubble that used to be our enemies' compound. I lower the cargo door and the four remaining Avengers and I stand there, frozen to our spots. There's not much left, only chunks of concrete and steel. My stomach churns from the strong iron smell in the air from the blood of the dead and the dying. Bodies litter the area, maimed and unrecognizable, on the ground. I close my eyes trying to draw my attention from the gory scene that lay before me. Natasha stumbles forward towards the wreckage in search of her partner, no one tries to stop her. I let out a shaky breath and Tony places a hand on my shoulder.
"You didn't have any choice, Steve." I shake my head in disagreement.
"But I did. I could've waited for him, I shouldn't have blown up the compound with him still in it. He could've made it if it wasn't for me."
"You know that wasn't an option. Barton was injured and they would've caught him, probably killed him afterwards. Then they would've come after us, all of us. Clint didn't want that, he sacrificed himself to save our lives. There's nothing you could've done that would've changed his mind." I hand my head and nod slowly, not fully believing him. It's enough to get him to drop the subject though, and he starts walking towards the debris. I follow his lead along with Bruce and Thor. Rocks crunch under my feet as I make my way along through the maze of concrete and destruction. I step around the bodies that block my path careful not to touch them, they might've been Hydra scum but they still deserve some respect. I've finally made it to the spot where we last heard from Clint and I begin searching the debris for any signs of life. My hands dig through the rubble and it's only been a few minutes when I find something. Loki is lying under some support beams, his body barely protected from harm by green magic holding the majority of the weight off of him. I lift the beam and drag him out before restraining him in case he happens to wake up while I'm searching for survivors. My eyes roam over the area around me and they land on something. There's an arm sticking out from underneath the wreckage and I dash over to it. Blood leaks out from under the wreckage and I take a deep breath before beginning to lift the large chunk of concrete. When that's out of the way I can see most of his body except for the head and shoulder, which are covered by another piece of debris. My eyes catch something wedged next to the body, the black object is too familiar to miss. Clint's bow lies a few feet from me. It's Barton. It's gotta be him. My heart skips a beat and I immediately try to pull the remaining debris off of him, determined to rescue my friend. When he's completely uncovered, I gently drag him out into the open. My stomach churns when I can finally get a look at the man's condition. Bones stick out it random directions and blood leaks from large gnashes that litter his skin. His skull is caved in and he's not breathing. He's dead. I gag and turn away from the mangled mess. Tears slip down my face and I can't stop myself. I turn my head and vomit on the ground. The image of my friend flashes through my mind and I wretch again. It finally subsides and I force myself to turn back around. The body is lying on its stomach with its head facing away from me so I can't see their face. Using every ounce of strength I have left, I turn the corpse over to make certain of their identity. Relief and dread flood me when I see that's it's not Clint. Relief because it's not Clint, dread because someone had to suffer through this pain. Justin Hammer lies in a pool of his own blood, the man is nearly unrecognizable due to the massive amount of injuries he sustained. My shaking limbs refuse to support me any longer and I drop to my knees, barely managing to hold myself up any longer. All of my energy leaves me as I sit there unsure of what to do. That could've been Clint lying there dead. If that's what happened to Hammer, I can't even imagine what shape Barton could be in. I take in a few deep, calming breaths before sitting back on my knees and prepare to continue my search. It's at that exact moment that Tony's voice rings through the air.
"I found him!"Without hesitation I leap to my feet and sprint off in the direction of Stark's shouts. When I finally locate him, the man has Clint lying on his back away from the debris and the others are gathered around the two. "He's alive."I slow my pace and come to stand next to the archer. He doesn't look good. Several deep gnashes litter his face, arms, and torso and it looks like he's got a couple broken ribs. His left leg is bent at a weird angle, probably broken, and there's a piece of steel sticking out from his abdomen. Everyone seems to be in too much of a shock to do anything. I finally snap out of my daze and begin spouting orders.
"We need to get him back to the Quinjet and get him some immediate medical attention." Upon hearing my command, Thor stoops down and gathers Barton in his arms before flying towards the plane. Tony and Bruce rush after him, but Natasha hasn't moved. I'm about to ask her why when her legs buckle and she collapses on the ground. I dash to her side and find the cause of her sudden collapse. Her face is as pale as a sheet from blood loss and wound on her leg is bleeding badly. I pick her up and take off at a sprint towards the Quinjet. When I arrive I lay her down next to Clint where Tony and Bruce have begun to work on him. Tony lets Bruce take over and moves to help Natasha. As soon as I know she's taken care of, I sit down in the cockpit of the plane and take off. Immediately I set a course for New York and start flying the fastest possible route there. I glance back at my team, grateful that everyone's still alive, for now.
Well that's all for chapter thirteen! Hope you enjoyed it! I wanna thank everyone who's taken the time to read this story and has had the patience to stick with it. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated. Until the next exciting chapter!