Fractured

On top of everything that was going on, there had to be a break in at the complex. And not only that but it had to have been broken in by one of the dumbest named people Sam ever had the misfortune of meeting, but the dude had to have kicked his ass. It was embarrassing and because Sam heard Natasha and Laura on the other side of the comms laughing, he had to ask them to please make sure that Bucky never saw the footage. He would be damned if Bucky was going to give him shit for getting beat up by a guy who went by the title Ant Man.  

It lasted all of four hours. 

He was in the lab working on some alterations to his wings (stupid little Ant Man dude....) when Bucky had poked his head through the door. “Hey, you up for following up on a lead or you too busy wondering how in the world you let a guy the size of a bug beat you?” 

Sam groaned which only made Bucky laugh a bit harder. “Har de har, Bucky. You try fighting a guy who can shrink but still hit like a freight train.” 

“Yeah, whatever. You coming or what?”  

“Yeah, yeah, give me a minute to put my wings back together. Where are we headed?” 

“I’ll tell you in the car.” 

“Staying local, then?” 

Bucky rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you in the car,” he repeated, a little annoyed which made Sam smirk as Bucky disappeared down the hall. It didn’t take long for Sam to finish closing the control panel to his wings and suiting up to join Bucky in the garage. Bucky had just thrown a bag of gear into the trunk when Sam joined him and let Sam add his own gear to the pile before they climbed into the car and Bucky drove off. “Alright, now we’re in the car. What’s this lead we’re chasing?” 

“I’ve been tracking down Rumlow’s known associates, namely one in particular.” Sam had cast Bucky a quizzical look which didn’t seem to bother bucky in the slightest. “I knew Rumlow back when he was assigned to SHIELD. He was my handler on certain missions and during that time, I only ever saw him routinely with one other person.” 

“And are you going to tell me who this guy is or are you going to keep being annoyingly vague?” 

“Her name is Sinthea Schmidt.” There was a pause where Sam could only guess Bucky was waiting for some sort of reaction, but it never came. “Daughter to Johann Schmidt? You know…. Red Skull?” 

“Wait, you’re meaning to tell me that the Red Skull got it on with someone and had a kid?” 

“It was pre-Red Skull times. He wanted an heir to take over Hydra when he was gone, but he got Sinthea instead. During the war when Steve was taking Hydra down he put her in a cryo-sleep so she could wake up and continue what he started in case he failed. SHIELD found her instead. Something happened to the chamber and she couldn’t remember a thing so they tried to turn her into an operative but unknowingly, they gave her to Rumlow who, in turn, gave her right back to Hydra. You could say that they’re…. close.” 

“So, we find Sinthea, we find Rumlow.” 

“And if we find Rumlow, we get one step closer to finding Tony and Clint.” 

“Alright, alright,” Sam muttered as he nodded, “So we find her and then what? Bring her in and question her until she tells us?” 

The fact that Bucky didn’t answer right away was concerning enough, to say the least. The slight hesitation in his response to Sam’s question made him turn his head and look at him with a questioning gaze. “You do have a plan, right Bucky?” 

“I don’t not have a plan.” 

“Well, that’s reassuring.” 

The heavy sigh from Bucky was prevalent as it lingered in the car. “It’s not that simply, Sam. Sin is not exactly your typical run-of-the-mill bad guy. She’s...well....she’s kind of insane. But she’s also incredibly intelligent so tricking her is almost impossible. So, I’ve learned the best plan to have when approaching her is to kind of wing it as you go.” 

Sam looked at Bucky incredulously. “That is the worst plan I’ve ever heard. In fact, that’s not even a plan....and how the hell do you know how to find her anyway? Or are you winging that as well?” 

“Relax, Sam, I have a plan on how we find her,” Bucky replied as he made a left turn, “I wasn’t the only brainwashed puppet Hydra had on their payroll.” 

Sam paused, his forehead wrinkling in confusion for a moment as he looked between Bucky and the road ahead. “Who?” 

But Bucky didn’t answer. In fact, he didn’t give Sam any hints whatsoever for the rest of the ride, only telling him that all would be explained as soon as they arrived at their destination – wherever that was. It turned out to be an old roadside diner that probably hadn’t seen a customer in almost a decade. “Really? An old diner? Something tells me we’re not here for their burgers,” Sam commented as they got out of the car. 

Bucky just sighed and shook his head as he led the way up the stairs and through the door. With what little information that Bucky gave Sam he wasn’t sure what to expect but a tall, raven-haired woman in khaki cargos and a black tactical shirt was not at all what he was expecting on the other side. “Barnes,” she greeted, standing from her seat at the empty bar and approaching the men. 

“Drew,” he replied, holding out his hand for her to shake, “Thanks for taking my call. This is Sam Wilson. Sam, I want you to meet Jessica Drew.” 

Jessica turned to Sam and held out her hand which Sam took and shook firmly. “So how do you know Mr. Serious over here?” Sam asked as they shook hands. 

“Bucky and I go back a few years, although he probably remembers more of it than I do,” she started, glancing over at Bucky for a moment before continuing, “I joined SHIELD a while back and was recruited into a special program that, at the time, was one run by Hydra scientists. I ended up being brainwashed and experimented on because they were wanting me to be a new brand of assassin. A couple of my field ops ended up being with the Winter Soldier, although I don’t really remember that. After Hydra was outed in SHIELD the program fell apart and Bucky helped me get out. I've been tracking down the assholes that took away my life for 10 years ever since.” 

“If anyone can find Sin, it’s her,” Bucky said with a confident smirk on his face as he crossed his arms, “Speaking of, you said that you had a lead?” 

“Maybe,” she replied as she nodded towards the kitchen for them to follow, “I’m not sure if he’s going to help us find Sin but considering his ties to Hydra he may be able to give us some valuable information. Plus, he’s got a connection to one of your missing buddies that could make him useful.” 

Sam and Bucky looked at one another as if trying to figure out between the two of them who it could be that Jessica was talking about. Someone connected to Hydra and connected to either Tony or Clint? That didn’t really narrow it down all that much. They followed her through the swinging doors and towards what probably used to be the walk-in refrigerator room where a man sat, bound to a chair with duct tape over his mouth. It was definitely not someone that either of them recognized but they both had to admit that there was something eerily familiar about the eyes. Jessica simply walked up to him and pulled the tape from his mouth. “Boys, meet Charles Barton. Aka Barney Barton, Trickshot and older brother of one Clint Barton.” 

Bucky and Sam exchanged confused glances. “Didn’t Clint say he was dead?” Sam asked. 

“For all intents and purposes, he was,” Jessica chimed in, “Even SHIELD thought he was dead. But Hydra got their hands on him and nursed him back to health. Isn’t that right, Barton?” 

“Whatever you say, sweet cheeks,” Barney replied, seemingly happy with his replied. Jessica just sighed as she stared directly at him. “Really? Sweet cheeks? That’s what you’re going with….” She stated, clearly unamused before turning back to Bucky and Sam, “He may not know where Sin is but I guarantee that he knows something that could help us find your missing Avengers.” 

Sam couldn’t quite put his finger on it but something didn’t seem right about this. It seemed like such a long-shot and easily a dead-end, which would then just waste more time that, in Sam’s mind, they really didn’t have. Tony and Clint had been missing for over a week now and the timetable was quickly turning into two. And while little Nate and Lila were still oblivious to the real reason why they were in New York and their dad was away, Cooper knew and each passing day Sam saw the worry in the kid’s face. Worry that fed the guilt eating away at Sam’s soul. “Might....may.... look, no offense but we’ve wasted enough time as it is. Who is to say this isn’t just another waste of time?” 

“It’s better than nothing,” Bucky sighed, “We’ll take him back to the compound. I’m sure Natasha can get something from him.” 

“Hang on,” Sam said, grabbing Bucky’s arm, “Can we talk?” 

The look on Sam’s face was enough to tell Bucky that it was a delicate subject matter in which he wanted to discuss. And obviously, Jessica got the hint too. “I’ll just keep an eye on our friend here,” she announced as she pointed to Barney. 

Bucky gave her a nod before leading both himself and Sam outside of the diner. When they hit the open air, Sam didn’t hesitate to speak up. “We can’t take them back to the complex, Bucky. In case you’ve forgotten, we got some guests that are supposed to remain anonymous. What do you think Barton will do when he finds out you took his very much alive brother and a former brainwashed assassin who both have ties to Hydra to the same place where the things he cares more about than himself are staying?” 

“I should probably be insulted that you think I didn’t think of that already,” Bucky replied as he chanced a glance over to the diner to make sure there wasn’t anyone eavesdropping, “I know it’s risky, but we haven’t had a single lead on locating Tony and Clint. This could finally give us something to chase down, Sam. I’m sure Laura would understand the risk. Besides, the complex is big enough as is and we can make sure to keep them out of sight of our guests.” 

He paused as he noticed how Sam’s hesitance seemed to radiate from him. “I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t consider their safety. I’m sure Clint would understand.” 

Sam seemed to visibly relax as he sighed. “Alright, fine, but one condition.” 

“What?” 

“Drew doesn’t go snooping around by herself. Someone needs to stay with her so we can keep an eye on her.” 

“Fine. Thanks for volunteering.” 

Bucky clapped Sam on the shoulder with a smirk before heading inside. Sam, however, froze in his spot in bewilderment. “Volunteering? Hey, wait a sec, I didn’t volunteer for a thing.... Bucky! Hey, Barnes!” 

~~~ 

“Yeah....yeah, I can make the arrangements.... Okay, I’ll let her know. See you in a bit,” Natasha replied as she hung up her call and turned to Laura. The two women had been working with FRIDAY to run facial recognition all across the world, hoping that a camera would spot Rumlow or Cross or, in the super unlikely event, Tony or Clint. Natasha didn’t know how Laura could continue to sit there and stare at the screens like she did. Every time they got a possible hit Natasha could feel Laura’s anticipation and every time it came back as a false positive Natasha noticed how her shoulders seemed to sag in slight defeat. Yet she hadn’t moved unless called away by one of the kids. A much-needed break that Laura needed but refused to take. But Natasha could understand her will to keep pushing through. Both as an agent and a devoted wife, Laura needed to see this mission done. And as a mother she needed to make sure her children had their father brought home safe and sound. Hopefully with the news Bucky had just delivered to her they were one step closer to bringing their boys home. “What did Bucky say?” Laura asked without even turning to look in Natasha’s direction. 

“They’re on their way and they’re bringing a couple guests. I’ll have Bruce set up some security measures for the kids and you.” 

“I appreciate that. Any idea on who it is they’re bringing in?” 

“Jessica Drew, former SHIELD agent and....” Natasha paused, unsure of how to best explain the second visitor. She was sure Laura knew of Clint’s brother but even Natasha had a hard time wrapping her head around it. “...Charles Barton.” 

Laura did turn away from the screens when Natasha mentioned her supposedly deceased brother-in-law's name. “Barney? I thought he was dead.” 

“So did I and the rest of the world but apparently he is very much alive and working with Hydra. Laura….” Natasha took another pause as she crossed her arms in front of her, “Did Clint ever tell his brother about you and the kids?” 

It was a question Natasha didn’t want to ask but knew she had to. If Barney knew about Laura and the kids and was currently on Hydra’s payroll then there was a very good chance that the Barton family was compromised. A thought that made her stomach churn. She wasn’t sure if Laura knew the answer but she hoped that she did, considering the only other person she could safely ask was missing. But it seemed like Laura did know as her answer was swift. “No....no, Clint never had the chance to. There were times he said he wanted to find his brother or at least try to reach out and see if he could reconcile things but any time the moment came, he always said it wasn’t the right time. I don’t know if he was afraid that he couldn’t fix whatever it was that was between them or if he honestly felt like it wasn’t the right time. His gut isn’t always right but more often than not, it is.” 

Natasha knew that all too well. After all, it was his gut that saved Natasha from the Red Room, as well as from other, more precarious situations. “I think that was one of his biggest regrets after Barney died...or we thought he died. He always wanted his kids to know their Uncle Barney and after the incident, I could see it in his face. He had so much regret. It ate away at him, even if he refused to admit it. I’m sure you noticed it as well.” 

Natasha nodded as she relaxed her body posture just a bit. It was a relief to know that Laura and the kids weren’t compromised but she could still feel the weight of Clint’s guilt. Family was everything to him and she knew, maybe better than most, that the strain between the Barton brothers was one of her best friend’s burdens. “Bucky and Sam should be arriving shortly. I’ll have them bring them in through the hanger and directly into interrogation...” 

“I want to talk to him.” 

Natasha froze as Laura’s request hit her ears, although with the way Laura said those words, it sounded more like a demand than a request. “Laura, I don’t think....” 

“I know what you’re going to say, Nat, but this is something I have to do. I owe it to my husband and to my kids. I know you’re the expert when it comes to getting information from people but I have questions that I need asked and when he answers I need to be the one to look him directly in the eye. Please...let me do this.” 

She could understand where Laura was coming from and if she was in her shoes, she knew she would be the same way. Hell, she sort of was. After all, the missing men were her best friend and....well, there wasn’t exactly a label to define whatever it was that was going on between them, but it definitely was something. Something that made her crave answers as much as Laura did in that moment. So, she didn’t take long to make her decision. “Alright, Laura, but one on condition – we do it together. I know you’re a skilled agent, but Clint would kill me if I didn’t have your back. And you are most certainly going to have to change. Since he still doesn’t know who you are, we need to keep it that way. You got a suit?” 

Laura smirked as she pushed herself up into a standing position. “I think the old thing still fits.” 

With a smirk Natasha nodded behind her. “Let’s go, then, Mockingbird.” 

Sam and Bucky had returned maybe an hour later which gave the girls plenty of time to change and go over their tactics. Barney would surely know who Natasha was. She would play the intimidation factor in the room. Although if Natasha was being honest, she believed that Laura would end up becoming the scarier of the two females in the room. Laura reminded her more of a momma bear trying to protect her cub. And when she saw Laura in her old Mockingbird outfit, she could feel the change radiating from her. It wasn’t the first time Natasha had seen Laura in that outfit. It was similar in design to most of SHIELD’s agents, but her sleeves were wider which allowed her to hide her batons with ease. Even with the passage of time she still looked as deadly and dangerous as ever. She thought about the first time Clint and herself had shared a mission with Laura and the dumbfounded look on Clint’s face when she walked off that quinjet. “Pick your mouth up off the tarmac, Barton,” she had said with a smirk as she nudged him, “She could probably kill you before you think of a cheesy pick-up line.” 

“When has that ever stopped me?” 

Natasha laughed at the memory as the two women appeared in front of the interrogation room. Bucky was standing outside, peering through the one-way mirror at the older Barton brother. “Where’s Sam?” Natasha asked as they came to stand next to him. 

“He’s showing Jessica the quarters she’s going to be using while she’s here,” he replied before glancing over at Laura, “I put her as far away from Barton’s room as I could. Sam’s going to make sure that she steers clear of you and the kids.” 

“I appreciate that, Bucky,” she replied, her eyes not shying away from the man in the room. “Did he say anything on the way over?” 

“Nothing really important. He’s like Clint, in a way – he likes to rattle cages. Was going on about how it’s a shame Clint wasn’t going to be here to say hi, how quiet it must be without Tony....you know, trying to get a rise out of us. Eventually Sam got annoyed and just duck taped his mouth shut again.” 

“Well, that could prove useful,” Natasha remarked, “You going to stay and watch the show?” 

“And miss out on a chance to maybe find out where your boys are being held? Not a chance. As soon as we get something I’ll get the team and we’ll head out.” 

Natasha gave him a nod before putting a hand on Laura’s shoulder. “Ready?” 

“Absolutely.” Natasha smirked before leading the two of them into the room. Barney was handcuffed to the table and smiling as Natasha appeared. “Ah, my little bro’s best buddy. I figured you’d be the one to interrogate me.” 

“Try again, smartass,” Laura replied, stepping in quickly and taking a seat at the table as Natasha lingered in the back, “You’re going to get me instead.” 

Barney seemed to size her up with a devilish grin. “And what’s your name, beautiful?” 

“Agent Morse.” 

“You got a first name, Agent Morse?” 

“I do,” Laura said, smirking a little as she leaned forward a bit, “It’s agent. I’ve got some questions for you, Charles Barton....sorry, that’s right, it’s Barney, isn’t it? Like the big purple dinosaur on TV.” 

The laugh that came from Barney seemed actually amused. “Yeah, sure. Let me guess, you want to ask me about where my brother and his buddy are. Hate to break it to you, darlin, but I don’t know nothing.” 

“You’re wrong, actually,” Laura said, her voice dropping a little bit, “I’m not going to ask you about that. That’s what Agent Romanoff behind me is here to do. No, I have some personal questions that only you can answer.” 

“Well, shit, if you wanted to ask me personal questions, all you had to do was take me out to dinner or something. What do you say? I’m sure I can show you a real good time.” 

“Not interested.” 

“Oh, come on, why not?” 

“You’re not my type.” 

“And what is your type?” 

Laura seemed amused as the corners of her lips pulled back into a slight smirk. “We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about you. Namely how you came to be with Hydra. Strange, right? Considering you’re supposed to be dead and all that.” 

“What can I say?” Barney started as he leaned back in his chair as much as the cuffs would allow him to, “We Bartons are hard to kill.” 

“An arrow to the chest and a building on fire and collapsing on top of you is a pretty hard thing to come back from. Seriously, how did you do it?” 

Barney’s eyes flicked between Laura and Natasha. “I didn’t do nothing. Hydra pulled me from the flames when they realized I was still alive. Don’t know why, didn’t feel the need to ask. They saved me, unlike Clint and your precious SHIELD. Funny, considering that I thought SHIELD was supposed to protect the good guys, right?” 

Laura didn’t physically show her discomfort, but Natasha could sense it coming off her. “Hydra isn’t really the kind of organization to save someone. Not unless they have a reason...so why did they save you?” 

“Hell if I know and I don’t really care. I’m alive, ain’t I? Why does it matter?” 

“It matters when one of the two missing Avengers just so happens to be your brother. And almost two weeks after his disappearance his dead brother shows his face? That’s not a coincidence, Barney. So, I’m going to ask you again – why did Hydra decide to save you?” 

There was a staring contest between the two of them as the room waited for Barney’s answer. His head seemed to cock to the side as if trying to read Laura, but the fool that he was didn’t realize that he wouldn’t get a solid piece of information from her face. Even Natasha couldn’t figure out why she was pressing the question so hard. “Like I said, doll face – I don’t know.” 

Laura stared directly into his eyes and after a few moments, she smirked. “You’re lying.” 

“Yeah? What makes you say that?” 

“You can tell a lot about someone as you look into their eyes. Just the slightest movement in pupils can tell a person everything they need to know. Even the best liars can’t hide that.” Laura leaned back in her chair, a victorious expression on her face as she saw how Barney’s haughty demeanor seemed to falter. “I’ve got a story to tell you, Barney. Once upon a time, two brothers grow up in a sad, abusive household. Father drinks and beats his two sons after he goes after their mom and they’re helpless to do anything. The oldest of them, we’ll call him Charlie, does his best to shield his baby brother from the abuse. He even shields him when their drunk father crashes the car carrying them and their mom back from school. Mom and dad are killed but the two boys survive. They travel from adoptive home to adoptive home, each one more terrible than the last but Charlie still looks out for his little brother....” 

“Where are you going with this?” 

“...They run away and join the circus and Charlie’s little brother starts to grow up. He feels like he owes Charlie for everything he’s done so he starts working hard to take care of the two of them. He’s got skills that are starting to earn them some good money and poor Charlie....well, Charlie sees that the men that his brother calls mentor are using him, so he tries to buy their way out. He starts doing some shady things to get them out of this spot, but one day it backfires because little brother catches him. They fight about it and Charlie tells him everything. He begs his little brother to come with him as he leaves the circus. At first his little brother says he can’t because he feels like he’s found a place to belong and thinks Charlie is just jealous, but he doesn’t see what Charlie has been doing is for him. It’s always been for him. So, he goes to stop his brother, but he arrives at the station too late. What did Charlie do? He joined the military. Served his country and found a new brotherhood but no matter how far he got, he kept worrying about that little brother he left behind....” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about....” 

Natasha had to admit, what Laura was doing was clearly working. The confident façade Barney had the moment they walked in the door was gone and Natasha was sure she even saw his hands trembling. Laura knew more details than Natasha did about Clint’s childhood and was using it to her advantage. “Fastforward ten years, Charlie leaves the military and joins the FBI. White collar crime. Starts going undercover to mob bosses to help bring them down. He gets the chance to reunite with one of those assholes who was using his little brother and jumps at the chance to take him down. During a mission he runs into his little brother. He’s been saving the world and Charlie couldn’t be prouder, but he sees the sticky situation his brother has gotten into again and risks his life to save him once again. This time, he almost dies. His little brother believes that his brother died to save him like he saved him time and time again. It eats away at his little brother, and he regrets missing that train every single moment of his life.” 

The room went silent as Laura stared at Barney. Her face was emotionless as she used this pause to let her words sink into Barney. “I don’t know what Hydra wanted you for. I don’t know why they saved you or what lies they told you, but I know that that protective older brother is still there inside of you. I know that he’s clawing his way back out because his little brother is in danger and worst of all, he knows how to save him but whatever Hydra turned you into isn’t letting him. At least.... not yet.” 

Laura pushed herself up from her chair. “I’m going to find the real Barney and when I find out what it is Hydra did to him to turn him into you, I’m going to let him out.” 

She turned to leave when Barney spoke up, only instead of that confident tone he had previously, his voice wavered. “How do you know all of that?” 

Laura was looking in Natasha’s eyes as she froze. Natasha didn’t know how Laura was going to respond. It was a lot of information that only those close enough to Clint would know. Natasha was his oldest friend and even she didn’t know most of that story. Hell, she didn’t even know that Clint and Barney were in the car when their parents were killed. Laura half-turned, looking over her shoulder so she could see him. 

The next few words that came out of her mouth shocked Natasha. 

“Because I’m Clint’s wife.” 

TBC....