“Sir, Agent Barton has entered the building.”
You know when things are bad when even the voice of the AI system in the tower sounded sad. The muffled sound of the elevator raising the twenty floors was the only sound in the common room. Steve Rogers rose from the couch, his shoulders tense and a furrow between his eyes. Sam Wilson stood on the far side of the room, back facing the others and his gaze staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows that showed New York. Bruce was hunched over, elbows on his knees and face burrowed into his hands. His shoulders rose and fell in time with the long, deep breaths he was doing, trying to keep his cool.
Tony Stark took shot after shot while his eyes never left the silver of the elevator doors.
A mere twenty-eight hours ago they had been informed of a situation arising in Moscow.
At twenty-four hours previous they had been alerted that everything would be fine, backup had arrived.
Seventeen hours had been a notice that there were complications.
Fifteen hours had passed since they had gotten word that an agent had been KIA.
Twelve hours had occurred since they received word that their agent was returning home and would debrief them.
The only problem was that two of their agents had been out on missions.
Tony was cursing his high tolerance for alcohol because six shots in and there was no curbing the dread resting in his stomach. The burn was not chasing away his fear that everything was about to change. Again. The numbness that accompanied drunkenness was not cooling the rage that was burning in his heart. He had not missed that Fury (who he knew was still alive) or Coulson (the new Fury) had not been the one informing them of the status of two of their own.
Jarvis (who had been instructed by Tony to keep tabs on all the Avengers and their loved ones) had been the one to break the news. But even Jarvis had been unable to give them anything concrete.
The facts were few and incomplete but one had been in Moscow, the other in the Middle East. One had run into complications and the other went running. The manifest on the jet bringing them in listed only one agent on board, but communication between agents had stated that both “were coming home.
Tony’s hand clenched around the glass he was holding. He was Tony Stark. Things were not supposed to be out of his control. He had money. He had power. He was part of a team of superheroes.
Things went wrong and he was supposed to fix them.
Tony Stark had no idea just how wrong things were.
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After an eternity, the silver doors opened to reveal Agent Clint Barton. His eyes were glazed over and while his eyes were staring straight ahead, it was obvious the sniper was in another world.
Tony, who was standing behind the team at the bar, saw Steve’s hands clench, Sam’s shoulders sagged, and Bruce buried his face further down, his shoulders now shaking with emotion.
“What the fuck happened?” Tony was not one for tact, and right now he wanted answers. He knew he shouldn’t push, of course he knew, but the team, his teammates had been attacked. It was like when his home had been destroyed. It was a personal attack. Tony Stark didn’t take personal attacks lying down.
“Mission went FUBAR. They called me. S-she called me.” Clint stopped, still not meeting anyone’s eyes.
Tony felt the alcohol in his system begging for a second appearance. He swallowed around his suddenly dry throat because the look in the archer’s blue eyes was devastating. It wasn’t hard to guess that the man known for his great eyesight was seeing his partner again.
“I was too late.”
Those words made Tony snap out of his grief and look to Clint, who was looking at him now. His body was that of a man but his eyes were shining and looked like that of a little boy’s, begging for an adult to make things right. “She needed me, and I wasn’t there.”
“She’s going to hate me.”
Tony doesn’t get a chance to ask what that means, because a booming round of thunder announces the final member of their squad. Before they know it the God of Thunder is in the room looking around at each member as if looking for some sign.
He doesn’t find it.
“Heimdall said I was needed here on Midgard-that something has transpired. What has happened?”
“I need to go-“ Clint turned on his heel and ran back into the elevator, the doors closing before anyone could move.
“What has upset the Hawk?” Thor turned to look at Steve, who was staring at the elevator and then to Tony, who was speechless for a moment.
They were the Avengers. How did things become so wrong?
“Sir, I have found radio transmissions that were uploaded to SHIELD’s files. They may explain what happened.”
“Play it.”
Static echoed throughout the speakers until voices could be heard. Jarvis stated he cut out white noise so that they could hear the important parts.
“Widow, how’s Moscow?”
“Two days left and Rochev is mine. How’s the sand?”
“Hot.”
“Я скучаю по тебе , моя птица.”
“Я скоро увидеть вас , мой паук.”
“Widow, out.”
“Hawkeye, fly the coop and get some borscht.”
“What’s the price? Where’s the waitress?”
“She hasn’t come out of the kitchen. Guests are upset.”
“Copy.”
“Widow, what’s your level?”
“Widow, bird is in the cage.”
“Nat?”
“Come on, люблю, help me out here.”
“Hawkeye, what’s your status?”
“No webs in sight, first level clean.”
“Nat? Nat! Oh, Nat, no, no, no, Nat!”
“Hawkeye, status.”
“Widow, down. Widow, down. Med evac. ASAP.”
“Widow’s status.”
“She’s not breathing! Get med here now!”
“Request denied. Targets not confirmed executed. Danger level too high.”
“Get the fuckin’ medics here now!”
“Request denied.”
“Nat, babe, please.”
“Think about what we’ve got. You don’t want to lose that right?”
“Nat, please.”
“Не оставляй нас.”
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Bruce shot up at the last statement and began pacing, unnerved at the brokenness in the voice and the tears that were evident. Steve seemed to lose some internal battle because it fell back into the couch. He’d lost another person who was important to him. Someone he had accepted and who had accepted him.
Sam finally looked back at the group and began thinking of how much grief counseling they all would need, especially a certain archer.
Phil Coulson arrived forty minutes later, and the look he shot Tony was enough to keep him quiet.
“Barton’s already been here?”
“Yeah, but he came and left. Mind telling us what’s going on?”
“Mission went south. Barton was brought in to help, but there wasn’t enough time.”
“Then where is he now? He should be here with us.” Steve spoke for the first time, wanting to be a leader and overcome the overwhelming sense of loss he was feeling. He tired of feeling loss. He wanted to feel something else-anything else.
“He has other obligations.”
“What other obligations could the Hawk have, Son of Coul? He has just lost his partner.”
Coulson sighed, but his loyalty to his two best agents would never be broken. He had sworn to keep their secret and he would until the day he died (again).
“That information is classified.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Mr. Stark, you don’t understand the situation.”
“Then explain the situation, Mr. Coulson, because I’m starting to get angry.” The room froze as the words came from Bruce Banner, quiet and calm, but the threat was evident. Shades of green were already fading on and off his face.
“Agent Romanoff was sent to take out a target named Rochev. He had ties to both Hydra and the Red Room, although she couldn’t recall ever having met him. She was fine until the time she was supposed to take him out. We’re trying to find out now how he knew she was there, and when she planned to take him out. The working theory is there was a leak. When the handler realized she was out of contact they called Barton in. He found her.”
But Bruce wasn’t done. “Who’s ‘us?’”
“Вы должны спросить его.”
And with that Coulson left the tower.
Barton entered the home he shared with his wife (only Fury and Coulson knew) and partner with a heavy heart. He had once thought that losing his partner would be the hardest thing he’d have to overcome. Now, he was faced with an even worse task.
“Daddy! You’re home!”
A little girl with reddish blonde curls came bounding down the stairs and launched herself into his arms. He caught her and held her close. He inhaled the scent of strawberries (the same shampoo her mother used).
“Hey, princess.”
“I missed you so much Daddy! I thought you weren’t supposed to be home yet?”
“Well, sweetheart,” he paused, “I just missed you so much.”
He would tell her tomorrow. Not right now, not when she was looking at him with those forest green eyes and smiling.
He would give her one last night of peace before he destroyed her world.
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Translations: (Done on Google translate so I’m sorry if they are wrong!)
“Я скучаю по тебе , моя птица.” –I miss you, my Hawk.
“Я скоро увидеть вас , мой паук.”- I’ll see you soon, my Spider.
Люблю-Love
“Не оставляй нас”-Don’t leave us.
“Вы должны спросить его.”-You’ll have to ask him.