Chapter 21
There were a few moments of silence and then a cacophony of sounds, everyone asking "who, "what," "why," and "how the hell did we not know?" Mikayla waited for the team to calm down, then spoke again. "I can't answer all your questions, but I'll share with you what Clint found. There are five soldiers on ice at the base. They were the best at what they did, the top specialists in their fields. Clint found notes regarding hundreds of verified kills. They were HYDRA's death squad."
"How long have they been there?" Wanda asked.
"Since the early '90s, at least. That's not all." Mikayla tried to avoid looking at Steve, but she couldn't help it. "Bucky was kept there, too."
Steve nodded. "I'm not surprised, especially finding out others were there."
"Since he was the original, HYDRA used Bucky to train them after he got the serum." Mikayla looked over at Tony. She hoped he already knew, but she wasn't sure.
Tony nodded. "He stole the serum when HYDRA had him take out Mom and Dad." Tony held up a hand as Steve opened his mouth. "Didn't figure you knew. Fury filled me in. It was hidden deep in the data Widow leaked. I couldn't be mad at him. I mean, I could, but what good would it do? It's not like he had a choice in what happened to him. That would've been hypocritical of me since I never held Clint responsible for what happened during the shitstorm with the Chitauri, so it wouldn't be right for me to hold Barnes responsible for a choice he never got to make. I took my vengeance out on finding and destroying HYDRA." Tony took several deep breaths to regain his calm. "On that note, are we thinking that's where they've taken Legolas and Robocop?"
"Yeah. Seems like they want a showdown between the Avengers and what could be up to 7 souped-up soldiers." Mikayla started shaking, so Thor ran over and helped her to sit in a chair.
Natasha took over. "Clint also found a book HYDRA used that contained Bucky's trigger words. We know Shuri removed the words from his brain, so here's hoping they don't have a way to replant them. Clint didn't find anything in his research to suggest they did, and I'm guessing Rumlow doesn't know the words aren't there any longer, so Clint and Bucky can use that to their advantage."
"You said you had a plan?" Sam asked.
"Full frontal assault on the base, no holds barred. We go in and rescue Clint and Bucky – "
"Then torch the damn place to make sure no one's left," Mikayla said under her breath.
"I think that is an excellent plan," Thor said.
"Don't see we have any other choice," Sam said. "Otherwise, Rumlow will keep coming at us until he gets what he wants."
Steve pushed himself up out of his chair. "Grab something to eat, then meet at the Quinjet in 30 minutes." The group disbanded and split up to get food, suits, and any necessary weapons.
When Mikayla opened the door to her suite, Misty jumped up from the couch. "I was so worried about you! I got back from visiting Mom and Dad, then came to see you, and you're not up in medical, and no one would tell me where you were. What happened?" As she talked, she grabbed Mikayla's arm and dragged her back to the couch.
"Clint's been kidnapped," Mikayla said, then filled Misty in on the situation. "We're meeting at the Quinjet in 30 minutes to go to Siberia."
"Mikayla O'Hara Fitzgerald Barton! You are in no shape to fight."
"I'm being discharged tomorrow, and no one will keep me from getting Clint back. He'd do the same for me. Damn it, Misty, I swear we've been apart more than we've been together. We're newlyweds. This is not how marriage is supposed to be." Mikayla put her head in her hands and quietly sobbed. Misty said nothing but responded by running her hand in circles on Mikayla's back. "I'm not going to lose him, Misty. HYDRA is not going to take him away from me."
Misty knew that determined voice of Mikayla's and knew there was no arguing with her. "Okay, I'll make sure Sam keeps an eye on you. At least I have some control over him." She stood. "I'll fix you some soup and see what else I can find." Mikayla nodded, mind already in Siberia. Misty returned with a bowl of soup and a protein shake. Mikayla ate the soup, downed the shake, then went into the bedroom, hoping her uniform still fit. She breathed a sigh of relief when she tried it on and could wear it. Grabbing her bow and quiver, she returned to the living room. "I texted Sam to let him know I was back. He's agreed to try to keep you out of trouble." Misty hugged Mikayla. "Go get Clint."
"Yes, ma'am." Mikayla left to meet her team at the Quinjet.
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When Clint awoke, he found he was strapped to a different chair; someone had put a long-sleeved shirt on him, and it felt like he was being transported somewhere. He turned his head and saw clouds. 'Plane, then,' he thought. He looked the other way and saw Bucky being held in a chair with what looked like cuffs made for a super soldier. Clint noticed Bucky's eyes were open and focused straight ahead. However, the more he stared at Bucky, the more he realized Bucky was blinking, and it wasn't random blinks. Bucky was sending him a message. 'OK, not under. You?' Clint blinked back 'same.' Clint leaned against the wall and closed his eyes as Bucky continued staring straight ahead as if hypnotized.
Someone slapped Clint's face. He opened his eyes, and Rumlow was leaning over him. "Welcome back, Hawkeye." Rumlow sneered. "One more surprise for you, and the real transformation will begin." He motioned someone over who was wearing a white lab coat. Clint thought the man looked like a mad scientist from central casting: balding, silver wire-rimmed glasses, beady eyes, no lips. The man pulled something out of a pocket, but it wasn't a syringe. It looked like eye drops. Clint started hyperventilating, knowing he was done if his eyes became damaged. How can you be a sharpshooter without eyesight? He leaned back as far as he could, but Rumlow wrapped his large hand around Clint's neck, pushing his head forward. "Hold still, Hawkeye. Hopefully, you'll be able to keep the name after this." Rumlow nodded toward the mad scientist, who opened Clint's eyes and placed a few drops in each eye, then backed away and returned to wherever he'd come from. Clint bit his lip to keep from screaming from the burning pain. Before he knew it, everything went cloudy and then faded to black.
The plane landed, and Clint felt the shackles around him being unfastened. Two people grabbed his arms and dragged him off the plane. He could hear the echoes of their steps reverberating through the building.
"Come along, Soldier." Clint heard Rumlow ordering Bucky, with their footsteps adding to the noise. "Wonder if you remember them?" No response from Bucky, though Clint didn't expect one. Bucky had shared enough about the punishments he'd received when speaking out of turn. Clint wished he knew who Rumlow was talking about. Clint knew the "treatments" (translation: torture) he'd endured at the hands of HYDRA had done a number on his brain, but most of his memories had been kept intact, though he did have to struggle at times to remember some things. He thought back to what he knew about HYDRA. 'Bucky was the original Winter Soldier. The others must be who Rumlow is talking about.'
Clint couldn't remember the exact number, but he didn't think there were more than 5. Clint then heard scraping that sounded like a jail cell being opened. The two goons who'd dragged him through the bunker tossed him into the cell, and then he heard their footsteps as they walked away. Clint stayed on the ground, gathering his thoughts. He focused on what Bucky told him, that he was okay and wasn't under. Whatever plan Clint came up with, he had to keep that in mind.
Bucky watched as the men tossed Clint into the cell. Rumlow had ordered Bucky to stand down, then leaned and whispered to Bucky. "You're going to train him, Soldier, just like you did all those in the chambers. We've got a chamber just for him when you're done with him. After he's spent some time in it, we'll release him and the others, then I've got a mission for all of you. You should be honored as you're the first one to hear it. HYDRA's new super soldier squad is gonna annihilate the Avengers. We're just waiting for Hawkeye to get a round of training and his last set of injections. Can't have our resident archer be left behind, so we've got some serum saved just for him." Rumlow walked away, leaving Bucky to watch Clint from outside the cell, ordering him to start the training when Clint moved. Bucky knew there was no way in hell he would allow any of Rumlow's plans to happen.
Rollins grabbed Rumlow's sleeve and dragged him away from the others. "What the hell, Brock? You didn't tell me you were going after the Avengers, you dumbass."
"Relax, Jack. I'm not going after them. The brainwashed super soldiers are."
"Do you have a death wish? They'll know who's behind it and who devised the plan. Oh, and in case you forgot, who kidnapped two of theirs."
The two HYDRA agents continued squabbling as they disappeared into another part of the building. Bucky kept an eye on Clint until he started to stir. When he did, Bucky opened the cell and strode to Clint. He reached down with his left arm and shook Clint. "Barton, you with me?"
"Barnes? Can't see you. Drops in my eyes. Heard their plan. We got one of our own?"
"Kill 'em all, then steal the plane and get the hell out of here."
"I'm game."
"Good. Here." Bucky pulled out a hidden gun and knife and guided Clint's hands to them. "Guessing you can use those without your sight."
Even in the state he was in, Clint still smirked. "All day, every day."
"Great, because all hell's about to break loose." Clint took one weapon in each hand as Bucky helped him to stand, whispering in his ear, "4 of them, ten o'clock. I've got them. I'll get their weapons." Clint nodded. Bucky stood in front of Clint, which Clint hated but knew he'd be of no use without his eyesight. The goons approached and started shooting. Bucky was able to block the bullets with his arm easily. As soon as they were within reach, Bucky took them out by knocking them unconscious using his arm, grabbing the butt of their rifle, swinging it around, then shooting them with it. When he walked by, he divested them of their weapons, handing revolvers, ammo, and knives to Clint, keeping one of the automatic rifles for himself.
As Bucky was gathering weapons, Clint heard a noise behind him. Taking aim where he sensed the attack would be coming from, he shot twice, striking two bad guys in their foreheads, dropping them instantly. He sensed movement to his left and tossed a couple of knives, causing two men to fall, blades sticking out from their chests. Bucky seemed to have an endless supply of weapons, mainly knives, that he kept Clint supplied with. Both men were taking out HYDRA agents quickly and efficiently. Clint felt something fly by his face. "Damn it!" Bucky muttered.
"What happened?"
"Bullet to the right arm," Bucky said, gritting his teeth. "It'll heal, doesn't feel good, though."
"We need to stop?"
"Nope. Sooner we get out of here, sooner we get you back to your wife."
"Good plan."
"Not so fast, Soldier." Clint and Bucky whirled around to find Rumlow standing in a hallway, gun pointed at them.
Clint went to reach for a knife when he heard Rollins. "Stop right there, Hawkeye. That's it. Put the gun down. You, too, Soldier." Clint and Bucky had their backs to each other. As Clint knelt to put his knife on the ground, he quickly tapped the back of Bucky's leg in Morse code, letting him know what he was going to do.
Rumlow started speaking. "Longing. Rusted. Furnace. Daybreak." Bucky's face went blank, and Clint felt him tense up. "Seventeen. Benign. Nine. Homecoming. One. Freight Car." Rumlow preened, pleased with himself for bringing HYDRA's greatest asset back into the fold, even more pleased when he saw the stoic look on Bucky's face.
Rumlow's mood quickly changed when he heard Bucky. "Not this time, asshole." In a split second, Rumlow and Rollins both hit the ground, each shot between the eyes. For good measure, Clint shot Rumlow again in the chest, then collapsed.
"Barton?"
"Can we get to the part of the plan where we get the hell out of here?"
Bucky turned around and saw Clint crumpled on the floor, blood seeping underneath him. "Where are you hit?"
"Thigh." Clint was putting pressure on his leg, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Damn it, got to get you out of here." Bucky ripped one of the sleeves from Clint's shirt and tied it around Clint's thigh, hopefully causing the blood flow to slow down. "Give me your arm." Clint did, so Bucky put it over his shoulder, wrapped his left arm around Clint's waist, and the two injured Avengers headed toward the exit.