So it goes with saying that only things I own with any connection to MARVEL I bought on Ebay or Etsy. MARVEL COMICS & MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE are their own creatures and I have nothing to do with either of them aside from the fact I enjoy reading or watching them, and am grateful for the ability to play in their world. I claim nothing, and I receive nothing for this, expect the pleasure of putting something out into the world.
You can also find this story on ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN under the same title and pen name along with a place to post suggestions.
Don't forget to check out the Photobucket album listed on my profile page too. (My apologies. I didn't realize FF removed the links. I have corrected the problem in what way I can, so for those who like the visual additions, feel free to check them out.)
DAY THREE
CHAPTER SIXTY SIX
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1011 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
CLINT
Even though I'm in excellent shape this section of the escape is going to take at least 15-25 minutes, because I am carrying the weight of another 'human' in my arms, and I'm deliberately navigating around the nicely paved trails, because the last thing I need right now is some panicked hiker running off and calling the cops on some serial killer cannibal they saw in the woods. Then there's also the fact that I'm sort of exhausted.
She bought me several hours of sleep, which I both hate and love her for, but even with that the damn energy in me wouldn't let my consciousness shut down, and sleeping under the effect of sedatives isn't the greatest sleep in the world. No REM sleep for Agent Barton, no sir. I wouldn't have wanted it anyways. Reality was enough of a nightmare, I wouldn't even want a glimpse of the terrible mess my subconscious would throw at me.
"What about Duncan?" Its a whisper, both because my baby sister has the good sense to keep her voice down out here, but also because her head was laying weakly on my shoulder next to my ear already.
Adjusting my fingers I grip her a little tighter as I swing one leg after another over a fallen tree in our path too long to bother going around. "Forget about him kiddo, we aren't going back for the fake ass Scottish pinata."
I expected some kind of protest, cause even if she is different now she wouldn't be Nora if she didn't object to leaving a man behind, but the 'protest' was pretty much out of the park. "But he's the Director's son."
I couldn't help it, I stopped and snorted out a chuckle. Was she serious?! There's no way. I mean sure, that merc may have told her some bullshit like that, but even stressed out as she was there's no way she should believe it. "Yeah, hate to break it to you Princess, there's not a woman white enough in the world for that to be Fury's boy."
"I... I meant the other Director." There's a note in her tone that makes it seem like my confusion isn't a surprise to her at all, like she expected I might not know what she was talking about right from the start, which she is right in that guess.
Other Director? There is no other Director, unless you count the fact that Hill is competent enough to handle director level tasks from time to time. But Nora knows who Hill is, and has met her a few times, none of which she has ever referred to her as Director so I really doubt she would start now. There is only one other person I can think of that she might, but he doesn't go by that anymore. "Nora, you don't mean Pierce do you?"
My answer is the feel of a nod against my collar bone, which is followed by my mouth dipping into a tense frown. I like that undercover agent even less. I can't really be surprised that whoever he is he was familiar with Councilman Pierce, most everyone in any intelligence agency is familiar with the people sitting on the World Council in some way or another.
I want to write it off as a spy lying to get an in, but it's too much of a coincidence that he used it on someone he would have no way of knowing meet Pierce Sr, and while on record Pierce only has a daughter, I can't write it out, because on record, I have no children or a wife. That only gives me fuel to my fire of distaste. If he is Pierce's, then he knows. That means everything he did to win Nora's trust was for an agenda, and I don't care if Pierce has always been the closest thing to an advocate Nora had on the Council. He is S.H.I.E.L.D, and that's what I'm protecting her from now.
"If he's really Pierce's boy then it's even more of a no now. I guarantee his dad had him trained, and if he is any good, Princess he can take care of his own escape and catch up with us later." God, I really hope he isn't any good.
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1018 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
NORA
Clint was right, even if it was clear Clint didn't know Duncan. Duncan used to be the Captain of STRIKE after all, and while I was never high enough on the clearance scale to know anything particular about what they did I still knew what they did. They were given the body bag missions, the ones where they were not only allowed to have a high body count, but it was expected. And it was also expected that their own might be part of that count. They were not nice people, but they were very efficient in dealing out death.
Clint was good enough to be STRIKE too, except he preferred to go out of his way to limit his body count and that mindset didn't work well in their ranks.
I must have shivered or something because the arm Clint is holding me in shifts, and his hand finds a patch of skin that has no slivers, and starts rubbing it unconsciously as if he is trying to warm me up. It makes me lift my head a little to look at him, and catch his attention, as well as make him still his hand in a silent misinterpretation of my mood.
He doesn't give me a chance to tell him he didn't upset me though, instead he just asks me if I'm hungry, the idiot.
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1020 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
CLINT
"When we stop, I'll see what I can do about getting you a hot meal, would you like that?" I didn't mean to, but I got distracted, and I didn't realize I was rubbing my fingers over her upper arm in a what would normally be a comforting gesture, until I felt her muscles shift as she lifted her head off my shoulder to look at me. At first I thought she wanted to ask me a question, but then when all I got was a second of silence, I remembered the woman I held was still Nora.
I went with food for the same reason. Nora always liked to eat, cook, sample. Hell, she even would sit down and read a cookbook like it was an epic novel sometimes. Food was always a safe topic of interest, and even though I'm sure he fed her I never actually saw anyone bring food in there so I have no idea how well he fed her. Her answer isn't Nora at all though.
"No?!" Seeing the shock actually still me for a moment she shakes her head again, this time with a hint of a tug at the edge of her lips. "You'll pick something spicy again." Or maybe it's the most Nora thing it could possibly be.
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1022 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
NORA
He huffs a little at that, giving me a look that says he knows exactly what I'm doing, trying to use humor to distract him from his worry, but he is still going to let me do it, because it might distract me too. "What, I'm still not forgiven for the Jalapeno poppers? That I warned you against?"
He did. But I didn't believe him, and he didn't have the heart to forcibly keep me from trying something I was that curious about. I saw him pop at least seven in a row, just as quick as I'd seen other agents pop a handful of Skittles. I filled my mouth with three.
"Not sufficiently." I mutter back anyways, not really meaning it since I admitted it was my own mistake a long time ago, I'm just continuing the game.
"But Chinese princess, I introduced you to eggrolls. That doesn't get me anything?" He throws back, his brow rising even from the view this angle gives me. "You used Natasha to trick me."
"Yeah I did." He admits with a bit of smirk, recalling how since I was so determined not to talk to him after those Jalapeno's, he resorted to getting Natasha in on the effort. The second I realized he was in the room she took me to, I tried to turn around but she had already shut and locked the door and was holding out a plate of won'tons. "And you practically purred over the crab rangoons. We got video."
This time it's my brow that raises. "Oh yeah sweetie, you were so blissed you didn't even notice Nat had her phone up.." The mention of Natasha was meant to be light, but even after he says it he recognizes why it wouldn't be.
"Did she know too?" The guilt in his eyes answers, even more so when he looks away, but he still gives me the respect of actually saying it. "Yeah, Natasha knows the truth too.." And even though that makes me bury my face in his shoulder to the hide the tears he doesn't insult me by saying sorry. What they did is too big for an apology.
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1025 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
CLINT
It takes her a minute before I hear her voice again, almost missing my own name with how deeply buried she had it inside a hiccup. "Clint?"
"Yeah Princess?" I ask back, semi distracted by the task of moving a branch out of the way with my shoulder instead of un-occupying my hands for even a second. Though her question proves even more of a distraction, like a punch in the gut. "Does Steve know too?"
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1026 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
NORA
I can feel him stop, the branch he had been pushing aside with his shoulder snapping free under the strain and swaying aggressively but not dangerously to a still as he looks down at me at that question in disbelief. I can see the 'are you serious?' Just like he can see the 'yes I am.'
"No Princess. If there was one person on the planet we were never gonna tell, it was the Captain." Steve didn't know. Oh thank god Steve didn't know. I knew Clint and Natasha much longer then Steve, but I guess somehow because I always knew they were agents it hurt less. Being good with lies and secrets was just something they did. Steve was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be up-front, direct, awkward and honest, and now that I know he really was again the relief hits so hard I want to cry.
"Only level 6 agents or higher got to know." He tacks on even though I didn't ask. It gives me even more clarification and relief. It explains why all the high level agents seemed to look down at me, like ward, or look at me too much, like Garret, and that lets a me know that when I had Doctor Who-athons in the lab with Fitz-simmons it wasn't a lie. "Thank you."
THURSDAY, MAY 3RD 2012
1028 HOURS
RITCHEY WOODS NATURE PRESERVE
CARMEL INDIANA
CLINT
She shakes with those words of gratitude, and I don't even think she realizes she does it, poor princess. "Don't thank me, you break my heart when you do that." And before she adds another sentence sure to widen the crack in my heart even more I warn her off it too. "Don't apologize either. Answers aren't supposed to be a gift, Princess."
God her eyes are so wet when I make mine lock with them for this part. "You're getting the truth from now on, I'll tell you everything I know, and what I don't we will go find okay? I promise you that. Fuck the the world yeah, it's just you and me."
"Nat and Steve." She whispers out, making me snort a little before I hoist her shoulders a little higher and press a careful kiss over her hair. "Nat and Steve too then. Whatever you want Princess."
"T-tea would be nice." She requests too, in a moment of serious as well is too further the amusement. Which it does, but I also fixate a little on the shiver in that first word. Even though its a May afternoon and about 65 degrees, we are walking in shadows, and she is in damp clothes with a Northern breeze. "You like Chai right? I'll get you some princess, you just relax now, we'll be out of here soon okay?"
Her response is a lack of a protest as I adjust my grip to draw her a little closer to me, trying to minimize the surface area the cool breeze can reach her, even though I can reduce it by a few inches at best. Soon I'll be able to do more.
Up ahead I can see the trees thinning and the grass flanking our destination. The goal was always to get a pair of wings. Traveling on the ground gave S.H.I.E.L.D and their allies too many opportunities to spot our faces, so a plane was always going to be part of this cobbled together plan.
I knew there were a few small airfields around here for private planes, the kind that don't usually exceed four seats, and if I'm really lucky we can find one of those, because then Nora can stretch out and get some actual sleep during the flight. God knows the chance to just turn it all off for a while is gonna be a welcome treat for her.
The lock on the hangar door is going to be an annoyance, but not much more then that. This place isn't big enough that I have to worry about bypassing any electrical locks, and even though I'll have to trust her not to run off again, I am not too worried because I never met a padlock I couldn't crack in a few seconds.
No, I'm more worried about my ability to guess which of these roll up security doors might have a stack of blankets behind them, or even a pair of clean coveralls if luck is on our side. Between the blood and the tearing, that dress is ruined and I can't stand having her in it anyways because I know who put her in it. I want to leave all of Loki behind us.
But suddenly all my thoughts shift to what's in front of us, and it's not a destination or an object. It's the sensation of fire that rips through my leg as it steps out past the treeline.
Their only focused on the knowledge that I can feel the muscles of the left leg buckle despite my desire for them to hold us up gives out under our combined weight, as well as the strain of me twisting around to put my back between her and the sniper I was too stupid to see sooner.
The shock that widens Nora's pretty eyes turns to pain when her body hits the dirt a half a second before round two burns into my shoulder blade.
It starts me in a spin, with my injured leg unable to work up strength to withstand the force, and sets me up for round three which I feel pierce my opposite side, sending me down into the dirt next to her.
And when the ringing in my ears stops it's replaced by an even worse sound, her screaming my name when she should be running!