Keeping What You've Found

Clint kept calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was raging. 'Just when I think my past is done with me, it comes back and kicks me in the ass,' he thought. "How do you know?"

"I heard them. They thought I'd passed out." Mikayla inhaled sharply due to her injured ribs. "Revenge for killing Barney." She took another painful breath. "More news. They were…ringleaders…set up the trafficking ring."

Clint clenched his hands so much his knuckles were turning white, and he was about to draw blood. "God, babe, I'm – "

Mikayla shook her head. "Don't, Clint. Not your fault. Barney…asshole…never you." Her shoulders began shaking, and Clint knew she was sobbing.

"Shhh, babe." Clint ran his fingers through her hair. "Get some rest."

"Love you." Mikayla moved closer to him, almost to the point of moving through him.

"I'll catch you when you fall. Every time." Clint held her until she surrendered to the pain meds and fell asleep. Thankfully, Bruce had added some of his unique concoction to her meds, and she slept nightmare-free.

Dr. Cho and Bruce came in the following day and found Clint sitting in the chair, watching Mikayla. "How'd she sleep?" Bruce asked.

"Undisturbed, thankfully," Clint replied. "Before you ask, I got some rest, too."

"I can tell," Bruce said. "The circles under your eyes aren't as dark as usual."

"Thanks, Doc."

Dr. Cho interjected, "We'd like to do more x-rays of her fingers to ensure we set them right. If we did, she shouldn't have to have surgery."

Clint thought back to the previous night, remembering the shape Mikayla was in when she was found. "Good." He took a deep breath, scared of the answer he'd get. "I have to ask."

Bruce understood what Clint was going to ask. "No, no evidence of that."

Clint let out the breath he was holding. He knew what Barney's crew was capable of and how other crew members had previously injured her. "Thank goodness she won't have to relive that." Clint leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Time to wake up, gorgeous."

"Don't wanna. Hurts."

"What hurts, babe?" Clint stroked her cheek.

"Everything." Mikayla slowly turned onto her back. "Everything."

Dr. Cho stepped closer. "Morning, Mikayla. I'll give you some mild pain medicine. Are you hungry?" Mikayla shook her head. "OK, we'll keep the IV going. I need to do more x-rays and ensure the bones were set properly." The doctor injected medicine into the IV. "Once the medicine takes effect, I'll do the x-rays."

"Go," Mikayla said softly, "update everyone, and take a shower."

Clint leaned over and kissed her. "Yes, ma'am." He stood up.

"Before you ask, I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, Doc." Clint clasped Bruce's shoulder and left the room. "I'm glad you trust me, babe, 'cause I'm going to make this right," he said under his breath as he took the elevator down to the common floor.

"Master Barton!" Thor exclaimed as soon as Clint stepped out of the elevator. "How is your fair mate this morning?"

"Sore." Clint looked, and everyone except Bruce, Tony, and Pepper were gathered around the island eating breakfast. Natasha shoved a plate his way as he sat on a stool. "Guess you got the update."

"We have. Was she able to have a pleasant slumber despite her injuries?"

"Yeah, she was. I've been ordered to take a break and a shower."

"You do smell like a dumpster diver, Barton," Natasha said as she crunched a piece of bacon.

"Thanks, Romanoff," Clint said, stuffing a large bite of syrup-covered pancake in his mouth. Following it with a gulp of milk, he asked, "How's the guy from the store?"

Steve answered. "He's conscious. I spoke to the police. He said six guys were hanging around. It looked like they were waiting for Mikayla."

"Not surprised. Bastards were the ringleaders. Mikayla told me she overheard them."

Natasha spoke up. "Trick Shot and Swordsman?" Clint nodded.

"Should we know who they are?" Bucky asked.

"Assholes from my time with the circus." Clint tapped his fork against his plate as he thought. "Explains how they knew about the candy store."

"I don't understand," Thor said.

"I tend to associate lemon drops with good childhood memories. Mikayla knew that, but of course, so did Barney. He always had some around to give me after a bad time. He was in contact with those guys when Mikayla was kidnapped, so I'm sure he told them everything about me they didn't already know. Bastard never could keep his mouth shut, especially if he could get something for the information." He drummed his fingers on the granite island top. "Their team must've tipped them off when we got to the bunker. The sons of bitches were waiting for one of us at the store so they could get revenge for Barney's death." Clint steeled his face, then looked at his teammates. "This means war, and I'm going to end it." Clint tossed his napkin on his plate and stormed off down the hall.

"That went about as well as I thought it would," Natasha said after hearing the elevator ding.

"How do we end it?" Bucky asked.

"We don't," she replied. "He will. Clint hates bringing his past life into his present. He knows we've already helped take down his brother. He'll be too proud to ask for help revenging Mikayla's attack."

"Tough," Steve said. "We're a team, more than that. We're family. Nobody hurts one of us and gets away with it."

"Correctamundo, El Capitan," Tony came out of his lab and into the kitchen. "Here's how we avenge her." He held up a piece of paper. "Here's where we find the lowlifes."

"Boss?" The AI spoke up. "Agent Barton is headed to the parking garage."

"Damn it, Clint!" Natasha pushed away from the island. The rest of the group followed suit.

Everyone met back in the common area, weapons in hand, waiting to hear the plan. "I know we all want to go," Steve said.

"That is correct, Captain. I do not think you shall be able to stop us."

"I'm not planning to, Thor. Stark, where are they at?"

Tony read off the address, an abandoned warehouse across the river in New Jersey.

"Boss, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Agent Barton's tracker has been disabled."

"Friday, that's not a problem. We have the address."

"I took the liberty of accessing cameras around the area. No one is there."

"Stark," Natasha growled at him.

"Hey," Tony said, his hands held up in surrender and backing away from her. "We'll find him."

"Speaking of cameras, boss."

"Don't tell me."

"The cameras in the parking garage have been blacked out."

Tony put his head in his hand. "What the hell is going on around here?" Suddenly, the power went out. "Friday, start the backup power system." There was no reply. "Friday?" His phone rang. "What?"

"Say goodbye to your Hawkeyes," the voice at the other end of the phone said. "We've got her. No doubt we'll get him, and you'll never see them again."

"How in the hell?"

"We have our ways. So long, Stark. Oh, be sure to check your stairwell." The call disconnected.

Steve and Bucky went to the stairwell, threw open the door, and split up, with Bucky heading up and Steve heading down. Several minutes later, Steve appeared from the stairs supporting a weakened Bruce Banner. "They tased him before he could turn," Steve said, taking Bruce to the living room and sitting him on a couch.

Tony's phone rang. "Talk to me."

"Dr. Cho's been shot. Mikayla's gone. IV's been ripped out of her arm."

Clint had taken off to his Bed-Stuy apartment. He wanted, no, needed to get away from Stark, didn't want Tony to find out what he was looking for. "Nat will kill me, I know." He could hear her voice telling him how he was an idiot and hadn't the team proven he could trust them now. "My old shrink would probably tell me I've become more protective of Mikayla now that we're married and that since I have so much more to lose, my old, buried insecurities are making their appearance. He'd probably be right." Clint pulled an old laptop from a hidden space in his closet. The computer was a remnant from an early undercover assignment with SHIELD, so there was no way Stark could trace it. Hopefully, Nat had enough confidence in him to know he'd call if – or when – he would need his teammates' help. Clint let the computer boot up as he made some coffee. After pouring himself a cup, he sat in front of the laptop and started searching for his cohorts from the circus.

Back at the tower, Tony was fuming, trying to determine who had breached the tower. "I've got state-of-the-art security! What the hell happened?"

"Stark, I have discovered something on the roof," Thor said through the comms. Tony met Thor on the roof, and Thor pointed to some rappelling equipment on the ground. "It appears as though the intruders landed on the roof and climbed down the side of the tower."

"Question number one answered," Tony replied.

"I've got the answer to question number two," Bucky joined the pair on the roof. "They used some supersonic glass cutter to get through the glass on the medical floor. I would guess they shut the power down either from there or up here, maybe even remotely."

Tony took in what Bucky was telling him. He got the sense there was more to the story. Bucky seemed to be holding back. "What else, Robocop?"

"I only know of two organizations with this capability – SHIELD and HYDRA. Of course, guess that would be one organization."

"Damn it, why can't they just die already?!" Tony violently threw the grappling hook he held, watching it strike an air conditioning unit, leaving an impressive dent. "What the hell would HYDRA want with Maid Marian?"

"Possibly nothing," Natasha added, appearing on the roof. "Cap's with Banner in the lab, taking care of Dr. Cho."

Tony nodded. "So, why HYDRA?"

"After the fall of SHIELD, HYDRA started selling off their technology. We know these guys were involved in child trafficking, so it wouldn't be surprising to find out they illegally purchased HYDRA technology." Nat had a thought. "I'll search the records and see what I can find while you work on getting everything back up and running." Natasha spun around and disappeared down the staircase.

Whirring noises could be heard as the power returned. "Working on diagnostics, boss."

"Music to my ears, Friday." Tony turned to Thor and Bucky. "Now, off to find Robin Hood and Maid Marian." The trio exited the roof, stopped by medical to check on the doctors, and met in the common room.

Clint, meanwhile, had rounded up several leads on Trick Shot and Swordsman. "Dumbass," Natasha said as she opened his front door and barged inside. "Forget some people?"

"Don't, Tasha. Just don't."

Natasha walked up to him and slapped the back of his head. "You've got an entire team behind you, remember?"

"But their last name isn't Barton, is it?

Natasha looked into his eyes, seeing the little boy inside that had been abandoned so many times by those who loved him. "We'll find her, Clint. You know we won't stop until we do. She's become everyone's little sister."

"Yes, but our vows, Tasha? I'm supposed to protect her, and I failed again."

"Tell me you've found a lead, at least."

Clint nodded. "A few. Any idea how they got into the tower?" Natasha told him what they'd discovered. "Sounds about right." A chill went through him. "We won't let HYDRA get hold of her, Nat."

"You think those guys would try to get her to them?"

"If they thought they could make money, yeah." Clint grimaced, wondering how much longer his childhood would show up to kick his ass. "Here." He handed her a piece of paper. "These are possible locations." She glared at him. "Call the team, but I get the first shot at the assholes."

Natasha patted the top of his head. "I'll call them once we find them. Don't need Thor and Hulk destroying any more buildings than necessary."

"Good point."

Across town, Mikayla was doing everything she could not to scream, refusing to show how excruciating the pain was. After dragging her out of her medical bed, she was flung over someone's shoulder and carried like a rolled-up rug down the side of the tower, then tossed into the back of a van. Now, she was laying on a concrete floor, and sure she'd gained at least one fractured elbow, broken or cracked ribs, a fractured nose, broken cheekbone, and possibly at least one of her feet. Every time she moved, every way she moved, pain wracked her body. 'Who are these guys? Who'd we piss off now?' It was usually easier to fight your enemy when you knew who they were and what their endgame was. "Thinking's hurting too much. I'll lay here, conserve my energy, and come up with a plan to get the hell out of here."

Her plans immediately sank to hell. A boot kicked her in the abdomen just as she closed her eyes. "Wake up."

Mikayla bit her lip, holding back a moan. "Not sleeping, resting my eyelids."

"Got a mouth like your husband, I see. He always was a smart ass," one of the guys growled.

"Part of his charm." Mikayla opened her swollen eyelids to try and make out her attackers. Studying them as best she could, Mikayla tried hard to place them but didn't have a clue if they'd ever met before.

"Charm, that's one word to use. I remember when he was a skinny little kid, didn't know shit. We taught him everything." Mikayla looked puzzled. "You mean he never told you about us? Figures, ungrateful bastard. Jack," he pointed to himself, "and Buck," motioning to the other man in the room. "Formerly known as Swordsman and Trick Shot."

"Duquesne," Mikayla whispered. "Heard your name from Barney."

"Ah, yes, the late, great Bernard Barton. And that, my dear, is what brings us to today. You see, the elder Barton was our greatest moneymaker. He had the connections. When you murdered him, you killed our connections and destroyed our income. Thankfully, we've found a way to rectify the situation. We've found some people willing to pay a nice sum for a pretty Avenger, especially one with your skillset. Their only request was for us to break your body, then they will break your mind, and then put both back together."

"Go…to…hell." Mikayla tried to lash out with her lesser injured foot but only succeeded in kicking him in the shin.

"You've got spunk. No wonder Clint likes you. Don't worry, though. That will disappear from you soon enough." Jack leaned over and put a large hand around her throat. Mikayla tried to wiggle out of his hold, but she wasn't strong enough, especially in her weakened state. Before passing out, she saw another man approaching her with a hypodermic needle. She lost consciousness before the injection hit. When they were sure she was out, they called their buyer. "Your merchandise is ready. Where do we drop it off at?"

*******************

Two weeks later, after checking off the first five locations on the list and coming up empty, Clint gave in and let Natasha tell the team. Tony had also found additional sites, so the group spread out and searched each location without success. One afternoon, Clint checked in with Cap. "Any luck?"

"None. Every location's been a dead-end so far. We've got a couple more to check out. Stark's heading over to one now." They ended the call.

"Damn it, where could she be?" Clint's phone rang. "Barton."

"Hey, buddy."

"What the hell have you done with my wife?"

"Don't worry. She's gone to a better place."

"You son of a bitch. There is nowhere you can hide that I will not find you," Clint growled.

"Oh, she's not dead, just somewhere you'll never see her again. Check your phone." The call abruptly ended.

Clint looked at his text. "Shit!" He immediately called Steve. "Cap, is Bucky with you?"

"Yeah, right here."

"Sending him a text."

Bucky's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, and a look crossed his face that Steve hadn't seen in a while. "What is it?" Steve asked. Bucky handed over his phone before he could crush it. Steve's jaw dropped. "I thought you destroyed all of them."

"Thought I did, too," Bucky said, his voice strained, trying not to let his rage take over.

Nat, who was with Clint, heard him talking on the phone and came in from the room she had just investigated. She found him sitting on the floor, legs unable to hold him anymore. "Hear something?" Unable to speak, he handed her his phone; she looked at the picture. "HYDRA has her?" The picture showed Mikayla strapped to one of HYDRA's infamous chairs, a metal guard in her mouth, slumped down, apparently unconscious.

"Tasha? I need help." Clint put his head in his hands. Natasha hadn't seen him this distraught since Wakanda. "How do I get her back? I can't lose her, not like this, not to them."

"Come on," Nat held out her hand. Clint took it as she helped him up. "I'll send the photo to Stark." She put her hand to her ear. "Stark?"

"I heard. I'm on my way back. Send the photo to Friday."

Upon returning to the tower, everyone gathered in Tony's workshop, waiting for results. "I called Sam and Misty," Natasha said, "We could use the help."

"Where's Clint?" Steve asked.

"In the gym, working off steam and plotting." No one was going to begrudge him for that. There wasn't any protocol on how to act when your spouse has been delivered to an evil group bent on world domination. "I let Fury and Hill know, too."

*******************************************

"I'm so tired," Mikayla mumbled. "What is happening?" She was in a glassed-in cell, her body covered in bandages. "I feel like a mummy. Why can't I get rid of this headache? Where am I? Think, Barton." Mikayla inhaled, quieting her mind. Her body had taken a beating because she wanted to get Clint some lemon drops. The next thing she knew, she was being torn away from her bed in the tower, beaten to the point where she couldn't walk, and found herself where she was now. "I'm missing something. What else has happened to me?" Then, it hit her. "Son of a bitch! HYDRA, the chair, just like Bucky always described it. They're trying to get rid of my memories." She started hyperventilating, which made her chest hurt more, so she forced herself to slow her breathing. 'My name is Mikayla O'Hara Coulson Fitzgerald Barton. I'm married to Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. I work for Stark Industries and am a member of the Avengers. My best friend is Misty Randall, engaged to Sam Wilson, otherwise known as Falcon. The other team members are Thor Odinson, Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, Bruce Banner, aka Doc or Hulk, and Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier.' Mikayla continued repeating every piece of data about herself

She was so lost in her head that she missed the door sliding open. "Time for your next treatment, specimen." Mikayla knew she had to fight, but in her weakened state, it was useless, so the guards dragged her away for another session in The Chair.

"Let's see how you've progressed since your last round, specimen. What is your name?"

"Mikayla O'Hara Coulson Fitzgerald Barton, and you can go to hell."

"Tsk, tsk. You are persistent, specimen. We've treated you for two weeks, and you've held up better than expected. Never fear. We will have our way of molding you into what we want you to be. Things will go better for you if you stop fighting and allow the treatment to take hold. Imagine how much more alive you'll feel. You won't have to worry about this broken body anymore." Mikayla continued repeating her name through gritted teeth until her mouth was forcibly opened and the mouthguard inserted. Her mouth was closed around the guard, the ring was lowered around her head, and the electrical impulses began. At that point, all she could do was scream. She'd be injected with something, dragged to the chair, strapped in, quizzed as to what she remembered, fitted with the mouthguard, and her brain zapped. The process continued for several weeks.

After one particularly draining and painful session, Mikayla woke up in her cell, prone on the bare concrete floor with a chain around her ankle. Mikayla looked across the room and saw two guards with automatic rifles standing at the doorway. Scanning the space outside her cell, she saw several cameras pointed in her direction. At some point, her hospital gown had been removed, and she was wearing a simple, long t-shirt, once white, hanging down to her knees. She ached all over, and her body was one big bruise in various stages of healing. She could tell she also had multiple fractures, most received since she'd been taken from the tower. Looking down at her hands, Mikayla noticed her fingers were misshapen. Well, there went being useful for anything again. She wasn't going to be able to type or shoot. 'I don't think any physical therapy is going to help these. I feel like I know someone who could help. I'll have to ask Clint.' After a few minutes, it hit her. 'Damn it. The chair's working! I'm losing memories.' Mikayla painfully crawled to the bed, laid her head on the thin mattress, and started sobbing. 'I can't believe I forgot Tony's name. Clint, I'm so sorry. I will do everything I can not to forget you. Please forgive me if I fail.'

****************************************************************

"Two months, Stark! It's been two months, and nothing!" Clint was in Tony's lab, holding their daily shouting match, consisting of Clint shouting and Tony listening. For once, Tony didn't have any glib comebacks because he knew Clint was right. He was Anthony Edward Stark and should have discovered a crumb by now. The team had tracked down every lead Tony found and was always coming up empty.

Bucky burst through the door. "I think I have something."

"What?" Tony and Clint said in unison.

"I've been going over every place in my head I was ever held, and I remembered one. It may be nothing, but it's worth a shot."

Clint couldn't imagine how difficult that had been, dredging up long-forgotten and painful memories. "A shot's all we need, Barnes." Clint clasped Bucky's shoulder. "Where are we looking?"

"Eastern Chile. It was called Colonial Dignidad when I was there. It's been turned into a tourist place named Villa Baviera. Back then, it was used to hold Nazis that had escaped Germany after the war, so of course, HYDRA also found a use for it." The plates in Bucky's arm began shifting as he tensed. "I was held there at least once for a mission, probably to take out some leader who wasn't towing the party line." Bucky took a deep breath, centering himself. "I did some research on it. It was suspected Hitler was taken there after escaping Berlin."

"Whoa, Robocop, back up. Hitler escaped?"

"Well, yeah, at least that's what HYDRA said. He was taken to South America and lived out his life there. The Nazis had an entire network of safe houses. They appropriated the use of them after the war. How do you think HYDRA lasted as long as it did? Colonial Dignidad was just a stopover."

"I always knew we were taught revisionist history in school, but damn," Tony muttered. "Sorry, back to this place. What do you know about it?"

"It's a resort now offering the authentic German experience, fewer Nazis and HYDRA, of course. When I was there, I remember them making weapons and developing sarin gas, among other things. I doubt those areas are on the tour, so that part is probably underground. That's definitely how HYDRA operates."

Tony looked over at Steve. "You're quiet, Rogers. What's going on in that star-spangled brain of yours?"

"Trying to formulate a plan." Steve grabbed a Starkpad. "Let me get a look at this place." He spent the next several minutes reviewing data. "Okay, here's what I've come up with. Nat and I will go in as a couple researching honeymoon destinations. While we keep the employees above ground busy, Clint and Bucky can investigate the rest of the compound. Tony, Thor, and Bruce? You'll stay on the Quinjet until we know what we're dealing with. If Sam and Misty make it back before we leave, Wilson can work with Clint and Bucky."

"Stevie?" Bucky asked. "Doesn't everyone know what Captain America looks like?"

Steve smirked. "You missed my great undercover stint at the mall before HYDRA fell. It's a wonder what a ballcap and glasses can do for someone's looks."

"Or," Natasha said, "we can use SHIELD technology and make new faces."

"Or there's that," Tony said.

"Fine, whatever's the easiest. Let's meet back here in two hours." Everyone split up to prepare to bring Mikayla back.

Natasha followed Clint into his suite, watching him gather his weapons. "What?" Clint growled as he stormed around the room, packing his go bag.

This would be about the toughest conversation she'd ever had with her best friend. "What if they've wiped her?"

"They haven't. I won't let that happen."

"Clint." Natasha stood. "We've got to be prepared for the worst possible outcome."

"I'll take her out, and then you can take me out. I'm not living without her, knowing this happened because I couldn't protect her, knowing it happened because of me."

"That's bullshit, Clinton Francis Barton. This happened because your asshole of a brother became a criminal and ingratiated himself with other criminals." Clint spun around, his fist drawn back, ready to strike. Natasha grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, then pressed a knee into his back, dropping him on the ground. "Enough, Barton." Natasha held him down until she felt him shaking beneath her. She stood when she removed her knee and released his arm, but he remained bent over; that's when she realized he was sobbing. Natasha immediately knelt next to Clint and put her arm around him. "Hey, hey, look at me." Clint lifted his head but wouldn't turn his head, realizing tough talk was not what he needed now. "We'll get her back, okay? If she's missing memories, I'm sure Bucky will help her, plus you know Tony will do what he can, as will Shuri."
"I can't lose her, Tash. I never thought I'd meet someone, let alone someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We're finally married, and I might lose her." Clint turned to face his best friend, and Natasha saw the lost little boy look on his face again.

"Let's go get her, then." Natasha stood, reached out her hand, and helped Clint up. "I've got to go get my new face. Meet you on the Quinjet." In a tender moment, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed his cheek, whispered something to him in Russian, then left him to finish gathering what he needed.

Two hours later, the team, including Sam, was on the Quinjet going over the mission. "I called and spoke to the resort," Steve started. "Annie and I have an appointment at five for a tour." Steve was going with the baseball cap and black-rimmed plastic glasses for a disguise, though he did agree to a temporary hair dye, sun-kissed blond, giving him the look of a surfer. "I'm going in as Colin Shea. Nat's my fiancée, Annie Braddock." Nat, already in the co-pilot's seat, turned around and waved. Clint chuckled when he saw her. She resembled how she'd looked when he eventually cornered her. She had platinum blonde hair styled in a bob and contacts to make her eyes a bright blue.

"Well, if you two aren't the perfectly matched couple," Tony joked.

"Thankfully, he's going to let me do all the talking." Natasha looked at Clint, "We're from Georgia, met in high school, and dated through college." She spoke all this in a soft, Southern accent. Clint chuckled, realizing she was slyly reminding him of his Texas accent when dealing with the oil companies. It was her way of saying, 'anything you can do, I can do better,' and he was okay with that.

"Friday? Please pull up the schematics of the underground bunkers at Colonial Dignidad, please." Once the plans were displayed, Tony broadcast them to a large screen so everyone could see. "It's all yours, Cap."

Steve stood, Clint, thinking the only thing he needed was a laser pointer to complete the image of the perfect teacher. "We'll take the SUV to the resort. Clint, Sam, and Bucky, you'll make yourselves scarce as we travel down the entrance road. Once Nat and I go inside, you'll exit the vehicle and begin your search. As soon as you discover something, notify us. Then Stark, Thor, and Banner will come in and keep their eyes open as we get Mikayla out." Steve looked around at every team member, who solemnly nodded in agreement. "Okay, then. Barton and Romanoff? Let's go." Clint moved through the plane, climbing into the pilot's seat upon reaching the cockpit.

The flight to Chile was quiet; each member focused on rescuing their missing teammate and trying to drive back thoughts of what state she would be in after being under HYDRA's control for months. Clint found a spot in a field to land the plane. Clint released the ramp once the aircraft was still, and the group, except for Tony, Thor, and Bruce, exited. "There's the SUV," Steve pointed, thankful Maria had arranged to have a vehicle waiting for them. Wordlessly, they climbed into the SUV with Steve behind the wheel. The others kept their eyes open.

"There's the sign," Sam pointed out. Steve turned onto the gravel side road. As Steve followed the road to the resort, the others watched the scenery and took notes. "These fences look familiar," Sam remarked.

Clint, Bucky, and Steve nodded, then Clint spoke. "Reminds me of what you'd see at military bases. What kind of resort needs these chain link fences?"

"The resort doesn't," Bucky answered. "But if it were being used to protect a high-value target, it would." He pointed to a structure. "Guard shack." Bucky turned to Sam. "We should use your electronic birdie to get shots from up there."

"His name's Redwing, smartass."

"We're here," Steve cut them off. "Go ahead and get under the tarps. Give us a few minutes, then start searching. We'll keep you posted." He turned the motor off, and he and Natasha exited the vehicle. "Ready, Annie?"

"Always, Colin." The couple linked arms and walked into the main resort building.

The two men met Sam at the back of the SUV. The sun set about fifteen minutes later, so Clint, Bucky, and Sam climbed out from under the tarps and exited the SUV. Sam sent Redwing to get an overview of the complex. While he waited for Redwing to return, Clint and Bucky walked around to survey the grounds. Clint found a couple of areas he wanted to check out. "Guys, got the layout for you." Sam pulled out a Starkpad to display the results.

"Look at the view from the guard post," Clint said. "You can see 100 miles clearly in any direction. That's how much warning you'd get if someone were approaching." The group let the video continue playing. "Wait a minute. Back it up." Sam rewound it until Clint stopped him. "What's that?"

The trio leaned in to see what caught their teammate's attention. "An old communication station," Bucky said. "I think structures like that were where the tunnel entrances were when I was here."

"Then that's how we get to Mikayla," Sam said. He sent a coded message to Steve and Natasha. While waiting on the couple to finish their tour, the trio went over to look at the small building that Clint had noticed. It was small but large enough for two people to stand inside and man the communication board. Clint opened the door and slipped inside. Examining the interior, he looked over the non-working communication board, wires still in place. Looking down, he discovered a trap door. Snapping his fingers, he motioned the other two inside. "What's up?"

Clint pointed to the ground. "There's the entrance to the tunnels." Clint knelt to lift the lid.

"Not yet," Bucky said, grabbing Clint's arm. Clint whipped his head around and glared at Bucky. "We need to make sure the team's in place so we can get her out safely." After quickly considering what Bucky said, he reluctantly nodded, and Bucky dropped his grasp on Clint's arm.

Steve and Natasha showed up shortly after that. "Did you find her?" Steve asked.

"No, but we found a tunnel entrance," Clint said, pointing to the trap door as the group stepped outside to let Steve and Natasha inside.

Steve nodded. "That lines up with what we noticed during the tour. They, with good reason, distanced themselves from anything involving Nazis or HYDRA. The tour guide showed us around and even let us go into the basement. She said most of that area was used by a previous owner."

"You didn't believe her, did you?"

"Of course not," Natasha said. "There were bunkers and electrical rooms. I left a few microphones to see if we could pick up anything. I also noticed some doors that we weren't allowed access to. While we were down there, we also noted the electricity flickering."

"The chair," Bucky said quietly.

"Which means she's still alive," Steve and Clint said in unison.

"We didn't pick up any guards outside, so either they're all inside, or – "

Steve interrupted Sam. "Or they don't have any because they aren't expecting anyone to find them. Either way, that's good for us. Stark? Did you catch that?"

"Sure did, Cap. We'll hang back 'til we're needed. Go get our girl."

Steve looked around at the group. "You heard the man. Clint? We'll follow you."

Clint nodded, immediately going to the trap door, lifting it, then climbing down the ladder, the rest of the group quickly following. Once everyone was down, Clint led them down the dark corridor, listening for any movement, watching out for any lights. The hallway took several twists and bends, but finally, Clint saw a sliver of light coming from a door just ahead of them on the right. He put his ear to the door and heard a couple of men talking about making sure the other door was covered due to some visitors to the resort getting curious. He motioned to Steve and Nat to go around to the other side. They nodded, found the end of the hall, turned right, then signaled through the comms when they were in position. Clint counted to three, and then the team burst through both doors. Steve lifted his shield and knocked out the guard standing on the left while Nat threw a widow's bite, shocking the other guard unconscious. Across the room, as soon as Clint opened the door, he saw a woman at a control panel. He took out his compact bow, nocked an arrow, aimed, then released it. The woman turned around, causing the arrow to strike her directly in the neck. She gurgled and then slumped out of the chair. Sam and Bucky wasted no time in taking care of the two men standing next to the chair. Sam shot one in the chest. Bucky took care of the other one by using his metal arm to grab the man with his metal hand, choking the life out of him. Everyone had silently agreed this would be a no-mercy raid. While Cap and Nat took care of the few others who ran into the room upon hearing the commotion, Sam removed the cuffs from Mikayla's arms. Bucky told Clint which buttons controlled the headgear. Clint found the controls, released the headgear, then ran over and, with Sam's help, caught Mikayla before she slumped to the ground.

Clint sat down with Mikayla in his lap. "Come on, babe. Talk to me. Tell me you're still here." He was scared to touch her anywhere as there wasn't a spot on her body that wasn't bruised. Clint looked down and noticed her misshapen fingers. "Tony will get you fixed up in no time, I promise." Mikayla's head had slumped to her chest. Clint took a chance and gingerly lifted it to look at her face, trying not to focus on how frail she looked. 'Had the bastards not fed her anything the months she'd been gone?' "Mikayla? Babe?"

Mikayla's eyes fluttered open. "Light," she strained to whisper.

"Can someone turn down the damn lights?" Clint ordered. Sam went to the wall and turned off the lights. Nat found some lamps and turned them on, bathing the room in a ghostly, pale-yellow tint.

"Tell him…sorry."

"Tell who?"

"Clint…not strong enough."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that she at least remembered Clint. "You'll always be my kick-ass woman. You are so strong." While this was happening, Cap called in the trio from the Quinjet, who made it to the bunker in record time. "Tell me your name, sweetheart."

"Uh, uh, Mikayla." She then fell unconscious.

Thor knelt next to them. "Please allow me to take her to the Quinjet so the doctor can start treating her." Clint nodded, carefully handing her to Thor, who immediately returned to the plane.

Natasha held out a hand and helped Clint to stand. "She remembered your name and hers. That's a start." Clint nodded as Natasha put an arm around him. "Come on, and I think someone wants some time with the chair."

"Let me do one thing first." Clint took out another arrow, nocked it, and shot it, striking the control panel, disabling it, taking satisfaction in listening to it sizzle. Sam and Steve took the other door as Clint and Natasha left the room. They left to the sounds of metal being crushed and curses in Russian being uttered.