*Someone kind alerted me that I had accidentally published chapter one twice instead of chapter 2, so that has been corrected if you'd like to fill in the gaps!

—-

Clint can't get the images of Steve's body out of his mind as they walk into the building, under the caution tape and around the little markers for a crime scene.

Nobody should have been able to survive that much damage.

He thinks of the six other names listed as deceased.

Well.

At least… No one human.

He watches the man walk, silent and smooth through the corridors. Someone his size should be loud and imposing, but there's not a sound.

In fact the only person making sound is Anthony, and he seems to be making every sound imaginable.

"Down here—" Natasha points, "the room is down these steps and to the left."

They descend the stairs and step to the left. Clint has an aversion to the blood mark on the ground.

"Seems like they didn't want anyone to know about the cryo." Steve's voice says with a sigh. Clint looks over to see a smooth surface. Not just a smooth surface, but painted. Aged and made to look like there had never been anything there before.

"Wha—" Natasha gasps, dropping to her knees and feeling the ground with her fingertips.

"What the hell…" Clint breathes out.

Steve kneels down and he stills Natasha's hands with one of his own, "where was the edge, can you remember?"

She looks at the ground and then closes her eyes, as if picturing it. Then she adjusts and points, "the circles were close by each other, and I think this would have been the edge of one."

Steve lokos up, "anyone have something sharp on them?"

Natasha offers a knife, Tony offers a screwdriver, he holds out a pen.

Steve selects the screwdriver and before they can blink he's jamming it into the ground. Concrete shatters and crumbles under the pressure and soon there's a decent sized hole.

He hands the screwdriver back to Tony who stares at him like he's insane.

Clint watches as Steve then begins to dig up the concrete with his bare hands.

All three of them stare in awe as soon he has one of the circles mostly uncovered, sweeping away rubble from the power ports.

"You're right." He says, "this was for cryo, not for water tanks. So they were holding two people here. And they want them totally reliant. So that means hostages. Not healing—"

"Healing?"

Steve wrinkles his nose, "Yeah," With no elaboration. It falls quiet and Clint looks to see Steve eyeing the blood mark and then dipping his ear down to the tubes and corded, closing his eyes. Clint doesn't know why until he opens his eyes and sighs, "they've cut off all power to these units. Only overhead. We need to figure a way to turn it back on. We need to know the energy signatures so we can track it or find similar ones." His eyes flick to Tony, "something you think you can do?"

The kid huffs and walks out.

Steve rolls his eyes, "Wow, he and Howard say 'yes' the same way. Shocking."

Natasha snorts, a rare laugh escaping. And Clint sees the smallest smirk of humor on Steve's lips before it's gone and he's standing.

—

Tony does somehow manage to get the power going to the room and he's got the energy signal recorded and a trace started by the time Steve states that there's nothing left to see in the room.

They head up stairs and Steve stops at the top of the stairs, "we've got company."

They pause, "who?" Natasha asks, trusting his word.

"Hopefully Pierce's people. No way he'd let a group he doesn't have under his thumb watch this place. Which is why I let us trip the sensor at the doorway." He points and Clint feels his eyes widen.

"What!" Tony splutters, "you wanted them here!?"

Steve looks back at them as if they're young toddlers he's having to reprimand, "how the hell else were we going to get another lead?" He makes a 'duh' gesture with his hands, "if they're Shield, then we know it's Pierce. If they're not Shield then we have a new lead—" He shifts, turning his head in what Clint now recognizes as him listening. "Stay here."

He starts to walk away and Natasha lurches forward, "what!? No way, we're fighting with you."

Steve turns and he steps so close to her it makes her have to take a step back, something Clint knows she hates doing. He can see it on her face. "I do not need or want your help. And I prefer them not to see your faces."

"What about you?" Tony asks, "aren't you in hiding?"

Steve looks at Tony, "can't hide in a fight." He points at them, "are you going to stay willingly? Or do I need to knock you unconscious. Your choice."

Natashe growls, "I'm helping."

Steve rolls his eyes. "Okay." He gestures for her to walk ahead and she straightens her shoulders, ready to do so. Then he drops, sweeping her leg and making her crash to the floor. Then a boot is on her chest pinning her down.

"Hey—" is all Clint gets out before Steve is pointing a— he gasps, a widow's bracelet is in his hands.

"Where did you get that!" Natasha snarls, trying to get out from under his boot, but unable to.

"Are you going to stay down, or do I need to remind you of how much these hurt?"

Natasha stills and Steve waits, "there's no way you win this. So you wanna be electrocuted? Or you wanna be a team player and do as your told."

Natasha stays silent. Steve charges the bracelet, and she winces at the sound.

"Fine." She snaps out, "fine."

Steve's smile is quick and mocking, "good little agent." Then he tosses the bracelet to Clint. "Hold onto that for me."

Then he's running, around the corner and out of their sight.

—

Clint turns to Tony and blinks.

THe guy looks back at him, "uh…"

Natasha is fuming, furious as she sits up and bangs her fist against the ground almost in a tantrum.

"What do you do?"

They hear gunfire and it makes Tony jump. They just go stiff.

Then there's the sound of men shouting and more gun fire and things being thrown.

"We should be helping." Natasha grits out. Then she stands, "give me that." She snatches the bracelet from Clint's hand and snaps it around her wrist. "I'm going. I don't care what he says."

There's one more spurt of gunfire and something like a scream of pain.

"Okay," Clint agrees, "we'll go help."

Tony looks hesitant, but he nods.

But Natasha's only taken one step when they hear a yell, "You can come around to the front door now!"

Clint blanches at Steve's voice beckoning them forward. They walk, trepidatiously towards where he'd disappeared. They hit the first body, eyes open in death and Tony starts to look sick.

Three more they pass before they come to the front lobby. 5 bodies are strewn about and Steve is searching one of them.

"Are…" Clint starts, "are you okay?"

Steve nods, "yep. I'm fine."

Natasha looks around, and he sees the trickle of fear run down her spine. Steve barely even looks mused. "Did you kill them all?"

There's a brief silence and Steve stands, looking at her, "yes, but if it makes you feel any better they were trying to kill me first."

She glares at him, "that's not what I meant."

"Then be more specific." He throws her a wallet. "Shield ID. So you're right. Pierce is dirty. But that's a Hydra room down there. So either Pierce has acquired their assets, or…" his jaw clenches, "this is a much older mess than I would like to imagine."

"Oh shit." Clint breathes out, "what are we going to do now?"

"Now we find proof he's a part of Coulson's murder. There had to be a kill order to someone. And from somewhere. And it couldn't have been too complicated because it was out of the blue. Not planned, if how you described it is how it happened. Coulson surprised Pierce which means Pierce acted rashly. Now he's trying to cover it up. So we find out who, when, and how."

Clint watches as Steve uses pinched fingers to wipe blood from a blade and sheath it.

"How many people have you killed?"

Clint and Natasha freeze. That's a question that Shield trains you never to ask. Most likely you don't want to know the answer, or you can't know the answer.

Steve looks around, "I assume you know how to count."

Tony lurches forward, looking half panicked and half annoyed, "I'm not talking about just these, I'm talking total!" Clint's mind flicks to the Hydra list that Tony had told him about.

Steve looks down at Tony's finger and the guy yanks it back.

There's a long weighted silence where no one says anything. Then Steve pretends to count on his fingers. And he glares at Tony, "you want the count from the kills sanctioned by shield? Or the ones I did freelance?"

Then he stalks out the door and towards the car.

Natasha looks around the room and she blinks, "nine guys. All at once. Not a scratch on him."

"He's good." Clint admits, "and scary as hell." Then he turns to Tony, "maybe you should go home. You're looking a little green around the gills there."

"Fuck you." Tony snaps, "I'm not going anywhere. This is a huge mysterious part of my parents' lives I've never even knew existed. So I'm coming." Then Tony stalks out the door.

Clint shrugs his shoulders in mock amusement, "billionaires, am I right?"

Natasha rolls her eyes, but there's a dash of amusement there. So he takes the win.

—-

Being back in DC makes Clint antsy. Everywhere they go Natasha's keeping her head on a swivel and it makes him anxious.

Steve has donned a hat and sunglasses and so has Tony.

Clint understands why Tony does this. Being a recognizable relevant figure. But he's not sure who is around to recognize Steve. He doesn't ask though.

She was pregnant.

He grimaces. Those words and the pictures and the mission reports and the medical examiners files play a sick game of 'what makes Clint more on edge at the moment'.

He knows Tony feels the same.

Then Steve pulls out his phone, dialing a number.

"Hey, Howard?" A response. "Yeah, where in DC is the strongest electrical grid? We need to track an energy signature." A response, "thanks."

They're driving again when—

"Are you a billionaire?" Tony blurts out.

Steve looks in the rear view mirror. "Why do you wanna know?"

Tony is silent. Because there's no logical reason he needs to know. Clint can tell it's morbid curiosity. Money changes a person. Usually.

When Tony doesn't respond, neither does Steve. And so the mystery continues.

—

Tony's hooking into the computers in the electrical room when Steve picks up his phone, "yeah?"

A hurried and sort of frantic Howard is on the other side.

"Yeah," Steve responds, "I figured he'd have constant monitoring. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to them."

All of their ears pick up.

"Don't worry Howard. I don't make the same mistake twice. He'll come home."

Then he hangs up and looks at them. "We're officially on Pierce's radar. Back channels of Shield have been lighting up. And your predilection about Strike Team is correct." He stands and looks at them, "if you want my help, I want complete understanding between us. 95% of the time I will have things handled. Like earlier, I don't want or need your help. In fact, during those times, you'd be a hindrance—" Natasha is scoffing but he glares at her, "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm just stating a fact." He makes a circular motion with his hand, "you are all great kids with your lives ahead of you. Which makes it very easy for me to choose to be in the line of fire. So I don't give a shit about your pride. You're going to follow my orders or I'm going to tie you all up and leave you in the car. Understood?"

And Clint has the good sense his dad beat into him to not argue but to change the subject. "And the other 5% of the time?"

Steve looks at him with an amused eyebrow and he nods, "those times, I want you to do what you do best."

"And how would you know?" Tony snaps, "you don't know us at all."

Clint watches as Steve's eyes glaze a bit, then snap back and stare at Tony with such a soul piercing look, "you're obviously a whiz at technology. Like your dad. But you're carrying something weaponized in your watch and your phone. Which means, unlike your father, you don't mind being a part of the actual fight. Though I'm not sure how many you've actually participated in." He turns to Natasha, "hand to hand, but also sneak attacks. Subversion and espionage. You're a 'run to fight another day' type." Then his eyes turn to him and somehow Clint feels like Steve can see to his very core, "you're better from far away. You don't carry a pistol because, I assume, you don't like to use them. My guess is sniper or some form of long range weapon. You like to be above the fight and observe more than engage. But the way you hold yourself probably means you could take quite the beating without making a sound." Clint feels his throat go dry and Steve tilts his head, "probably got a lot of practice doing that, I assume." There's a beat and then Steve shakes his head, "Same, kid." Then he's waving them out the door, "they'll be here soon. We should get going."

Natasha's eyes flick to him and he stands there feeling more exposed then he's ever felt.

Tony grumbles and follows after him. Natasha follows, her head tipping forward to gesture him to follow.

And as he does, two words reverberate in his mind.

Same, kid.

—

"Yeah." Tony says with a sigh, clicking his phone against the metal shelving, "that energy signal is only replicated at Shield HQ." He turns to them, "so whoever they took is now at the Triskelion."

"So then what now?" Natasha asks, "cuz we can't just go knocking on the front door."

Steve's eyes flick to her and Clint watches as they widen, almost in surprise. But he says nothing, shaking his head and running a finger through his hair, "No. The front door wouldn't be good. They might have time to get them out of there if they know we're coming." Then he pauses, "I do think we could use the back door though."

Clint blinks, "the back door?"

Steve nods, "let's go."

"I don't know how long it's been since you were at Shield." Natasha says with a narrowed eye, "but every entrance is monitored. There is no back door."

Steve's head turns comically slowly towards her, "do you want to bet?"

That's not the response she's expecting. So she stays silent.

Steve steps closer to her, once again making her step back and she starts to get angry but he makes a slicing motion with his hand, "I have been on this damn planet for almost 100 years. I have watched the rise and fall of dictators and the waste of human lives through countless wars. I was there while the SSR fought the Nazis and I was there when the first foundations of the Triskelion were placed. I've forgotten more about this organization that you could ever hope to know and I am tired of you questioning my every step. I understand you left the red room and trust is hard to come by, but the next time you question me? I kick you to the curb. Understood?"

Her eyes are wide and also her pride is hurt, Clint can tell. But Steve doesn't back off this time, he leans forward, making her back bend to keep space between them, "do you understand."

Tony and he are dead silent.

"I understand." She finally grits out.

And Steve doesn't gloat or hold it over her head. "Good. Let's go."

—

"I'm assuming not all of Shield is dirty." Steve is saying on the drive, "So the Triskelion might actually be the best place to hide or fight." Steve takes a right turn that Clint almost corrects him on until he starts making a dizzying set of turns that lead to a dead end road. Steve turns off into the brush and CLint winces as the branches scrape at the care. But Steve just keeps on driving until some sort of older set of buildings appears. Clint stares in wonder, "what the hell is this?" There's a huge dam and then they start winding under low overhangs of what looks like a disused parking garage. Only a minute or so later, they drive into a tunnel and leave the open air behind.

The further they get, the darker it gets until the only light is from the inside of the car. The surrounding air is pitch black.

Clint can hear the tires driving through water. "Are we underground?" Natasha asks softly, no challenge in her voice, "how are you still driving in this darkness?"

The car makes a sharp left and Steve just gestures in the dim light of the car, "muscle memory."

—-

They eventually hit light again, and miles of miles of dim tunnel lead them to a a long and low underground hangar filled with outdated vehicles and cobwebs.

He parks the car and they start walking.

"What is this place?"

"Phillips didn't like all his eggs in one basket." Is the only response they get.