...
The Avengers wanted a meeting with Jason Bourne. What in the fuck? Why would they want to meet with him? Surely they thought the same of him as most of the world. Unless Fury had lost his fucking mind. Actually that wouldn't surprise Clint at all. Looking over Conklin's shoulder he frowned at the secure communication.
It was a simple cypher. Clint hadn't used the cypher since his early days in Medusa. The cypher was too easy to break so he changed it out for a more complicated one. This one was only used as training now.
Clint asked frowning as he leaned over the back of the chair, "Are we sure this actually came from the Avengers? Surely they would want to use a more complicated cypher? Not one that would be broken so easily."
Alex shrugged, "The location is correct. I can't find anything that would indicate that it's forged. What do you want to do, Clint?"
Clint's frown deepened. He leaned closer to the screen despite being able to see it perfectly. What should he do? If it was real, then he could hear them out. Bourne made contacts with all sorts which included SHIELD or the Avengers if it came to it. In the last year neither group had made an attempt to contact him. If it wasn't real then he could be walking directly into a trap. This could be Carlos. It could be his best chance to kill the assassin.
With a sigh he straightened so that he stood tall and considered his options. Alex watched him with cautious eyes. If anyone knew what could be going through his mind it would be Alex. Or at least he had. This mission had turned Clint's mind inside out. It had changed things in ways no one expected. Panov was here now but there was no telling if he could repair the damage that was already done. Regardless of what the man thought he would continue the game until either he was dead or Carlos was. There were no other options in this.
Considering his options he ordered, "Return their message with a time and place. I'll meet them. But only two of them. Anymore than that and I won't show. Make it clear Alex."
"If you are sure," replied Alex unsurely and after a moment's hesitation he added, "Delta."
Was he Delta here? Or was he Bourne? Blue darkened to grey. It didn't matter, both would likely be needed during this next confrontation.
...
Phil and Banner stood in a warehouse on the Canadian Coast. It was cold enough that they could see their breath condensing in the air. It was so cold that there weren't really any scents in the air. They were chosen as the two to meet with Bourne as they were the most level headed of the group. Out of the three that he could have chosen few would have guessed that it would be Banner.
Normally it would have been Natasha accompanying him but he wasn't sure she wouldn't shoot Bourne and be done with it. Rodgers most would have assumed would be his second choice. However Captain America was very stringent on rules. Phil couldn't see him agreeing to speak cordially with an assassin. At least with Banner, Phil could trust the man to listen unless Hulk came out. If that happened it was just better to let the green guy do his thing.
Phil trusted the Avengers with his life. A trust that may come to bite him in the ass if Bourne turned this into a trap. They had made first contact but it was the assassin who chose this position. A warehouse far from anything. No one would hear them if it came to a firefight they would be alone. Only two members were allowed to attend if there were anymore then Bourne would not show.
"Coulson," whispered Banner, "He's here."
Phil did not startle or jump. Instead he slowly looked around the warehouse. He almost missed the figure in black hiding in the shadows. So still was the figure it would have been easy to overlook him. Bourne.
Phil greeted in a cold tone, "Jason Bourne thank you for coming. I am..."
"I know who you are," growled out the figure as he came out of the shadows, "Philip Coulson, one of Fury's most trusted agents. Doctor Bruce Banner, member of the Avengers also known as the Hulk. What I do not know is what do you want with me?"
Bourne had dark hair that was cut short. It must have been cut since the last time they ran into him. His eyes were the same kind of shifting blue gre that Phil had seen in Clint. A Medusa mark. It seemed Bourne was just as lost within his own mind as Clint was when they first met. He wore simple clothes but Phil could see at least one weapon tucked away. The man did not trust them and he was prepared to fight if it came to it.
Phil answered pulling out a file from his jacket and tossing it on the ground between them, "We want to recruit you."
"Recruit?" Questioned the man darkly as he slowly walked over and picked it up, "What makes you think I would work with SHIELD? I saw what you did to Hawkeye."
Phil stiffened and asked worried for his agent, "You've spoken to Barton? Is he well?"
Bourne's eyes flashed as he answered, "As well as he can be. He's still hiding out."
Phil felt his chest tighten. So the man still hadn't forgiven him for lying. He felt his heart clench painfully. Every part of him wanted to demand answers from Bourne. The assassin was their only lead on Barton. Yet he knew if he tried the man would clam up or disappear. He would have to earn the man's trust in order to ask about Barton.
So instead of confronting the questions he had Phil said, "We need another member to our team. The Avengers are strong individually but as a team they need work. They need another member to act as eyes in the sky to watch their backs."
"And you want this person to be me?" Bourne asked incredulously, "You must have gotten the wrong impression of me, agent. I'm an assassin. I work alone."
Phil's jaw clenched and he continued as if the man hadn't interrupted him, "Despite your reputation Bourne you don't kill indiscriminately. You have a code that you seem to follow. You don't kill women or children. Those you kill would have been targeted by SHIELD at one point or another."
"Your point?"
Phil took a breath to steady himself as he tried to make his point, "You are the best option. Your skills are equal to or above that of any agent we could assign. The Avengers need another person or lives will be lost."
Bourne looked at him long and hard. Phil couldn't read the man at all. It was as if he was a stone wall.
After a moment he turned to look at Banner and asked, "And what do you think of this, doctor? Surely you wouldn't want to work with an assassin?"
Banner shrugged as he answered easily, "I don't have a problem with you, Bourne. I can see the value you would bring to the team."
Bourne hummed. His eyes once again met his eyes. There was something familiar about them and it was disconcerting.
Then he said, "If I agree to this, agent, then I won't change what I'm doing. I have a job to do."
Phil blinked then he nodded, "We can agree to that. Will you need help with the job?"
The look he received was cold enough to freeze hell itself over. His breath caught in his chest and after a moment Bourne left back into the shadows.
