...
Crawling through the grass Clint waited watching. He was laying in yellow grass in a ghillie suit with a rifle in his hands. Today he was not trying to kill anyone but it was a training exercise. Gordon was standing near the house watching for him.
The house is a simple one-story building made from brick. From his position, Clint could see Alex on the porch. His handler was watching for him just like his brother. They knew he was coming but didn't know from which direction.
On the other side of the house were sandy dunes that led to the ocean. In the air, he could smell the salty tang of the ocean. It was the closest thing to home than he had since leaving SHIELD. No matter who came to visit it wasn't the same. There wasn't the same camaraderie that he had with the other agents. At least before the Battle of New York.
Clint pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he slowly made his way forward. Once he had a clear shot he took it. A ping sounded as the bullet hit the side of the house. This caused Gordon and Alex to jump in surprise. Eyes searched the grass that Clint lay still in.
Then Gordon called out, "Alright you got us. Come out, brother."
A small real smile crossed his face. Clint slowly shifted so that he could stand without an issue. The men blinked in surprise at his position. It wasn't the best spot for the shot that he took. That was purposeful. He had to get used to taking different positions that weren't the best for shots. If he always took it from the best position SHIELD would figure out who he was.
Carefully he pulled off his ghillie suit and tucked it under one arm. With the rifle in his other hand, Clint headed down the hill to his brother and handler. Alex's cold eyes watched him before glancing at the wall where his shot hit. It wasn't far from his head but it wouldn't have hit the man. He was positive about that.
Arriving in front of the house he could hear the waves crashing in the distance. It was muffled even with his hearing aids.
Clint greeted with a tired smile, "Afternoon Alex. What brings you here?"
Alex said the coldness seeping out of his eyes, "Let's go inside. We need to speak."
With that, he spun on his heel and headed inside. Clint glanced at Gordon who would not meet his eyes. His broad shoulders were up near his ears. As if he was preparing for Clint to yell at him.
Clint asked softly, "What's wrong, brother? You are acting like you expect me to yell at you."
Gordon said softly still not meeting his eyes, "This is my fault. I mentioned it to Alex. For your sake."
Clint blinked as he asked, "My sake? Gordon what did you tell Alex?"
Gordon wouldn't explain much to his annoyance. So he had no choice but to head inside and go into the living room. Alex stood in front of the empty fireplace and Clint took a seat in the chair where he could see all the doors. Gordon took the other chair.
Clint sat on the edge of his seat and the tension was palpable. Whatever Alex had to say he obviously didn't think the younger man would like it. His hands twitched and made as if he wanted to grab a weapon or something similar. Though the two agents acted much the same as the handler.
After a long moment of silence, he asked, "Alex what is going on? It's not another mission you would have called me in before I got the shot in."
For a moment Alex seemed to search his face looking for something. Clint did not flinch or look away. Confidence from his time in the jungles of Vietnam was making its appearance again.
Finally, Alex said in an unusual tone, "Gordon made a good point about you and the other members of your team. I have consulted Echo to see if they thought it would help."
"If what would help?" He asked no longer withholding his annoyance.
Alex looked to Gordon and the two had a silent exchange. Annoyance made his hands tap a sequence on the side of his leg. A habit he recently picked it as a way to get little energy out.
Then Alex said, "You're falling back into old habits. A coldness has returned to you that I haven't seen since the war."
Clint blinked in surprise before he asked confused, "What the hell, Alex? That's what you and Abbott wanted. Why are you so worried about it now?"
"It's because you're mixing Delta and Bourne," Gordon this time, "There are times where even I can't tell the differences. I suggested that you and the others when possible have access to Panov or another trusted Doctor."
Clint blinked in surprise. There were times when Gordon couldn't even recognize him? It had gotten that bad? He thought he was keeping his mind in one piece.
Then again it was hard for him to tell what state his mind was in. He constantly struggled to keep Bourne from killing in training. If he wavered even for a moment he might aim to kill.
After a moment he said, "I'll only talk to Panov. You will have to ensure he won't talk to Fury and his agents."
Gordon seemed to let out a relieved breath. Alex's eyes searched his face for several long moments. Then he nodded. Some of the tension escaped him and it was followed from the rest of the group. Shoulders seemed to relax ever so slightly.
For his part, Clint understood why they had worried about his reaction. His mind was a touchy subject. It didn't matter who was trying to discuss it with him. More often than not he would try to bite their head off. This was a fact of life since they had called him Bourne.
Taking a deep breath he calmed any initial reactions he still felt. He waited to see what Alex would say in reply. For his part, the handler seemed to think about his condition. Then he nodded.
