A/N: The Actors' names were changed to abide by the guidelines created by fanfiction where non-historical or non-fictional characters are not allowed. Therefore, all characters used here are fictional, and any similarities to any person living or dead are purely coincidental.

oOo

Chapter 13 – Desensitize

Having done this job for longer than any in the Avengers, Clint and Natasha volunteered to do reconnaissance. The two assassins took down numerous Hydra operatives as they worked their way up the lower levels.

"Clint, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Nat."

"I can tell you're good up in your nest." Her voice dripped with friendly sarcasm. "Can you still see me in the dark?"

The archer had to laugh at that comment.

Like the deadly spider she was, Natasha had blown out the lights throughout the entire level and led her prey into a panicked frenzy. Clint shook his head and looked below from where he was hiding in the vent of the middle hall.

He could barely see his partner crouched behind the steam pipes.

"I feel great." Clint whispered. "You?"

"Lovely," She answered. "I've rigged the pipes to blow in case we need a quick getaway. So be careful not to trip on any wires if you ever get down from your nest."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"You haven't answered my question, though."

"Which is?"

"Can you still see me in the dark?"

"You really want to rub that in, don't you?" Clint chuckled and sighed. "In case this plan went over your head. I'm called Hawkeye for a reason, Nat. Hawks have great vision, but even they have trouble finding prey at night. Widows on the other hand, spin their webs in dark corners of mostly abandoned places."

"Are you saying this is the perfect place for me?"

"It's a perfect place for a Black Widow."

"This is old age talking."

Having known Natasha for years now, it wasn't a surprise to Clint when she used the old age topic. She loved playing that card, and ever since Clint found out she had a playful side to her personality, he knew he would never hear the end of her teasing.

What's worse is that they had time to kill while their enemies were out looking for them.

"Have anything to say to that, old man?"

"A lot, actually."

"Hit me with your best shot."

Clint found her enthusiasm catching, "You know what I'm talking about. Ever notice we've been fighting during the day lately? You can't blame me for being a little rusty these days."

"Excuses, Clint."

"It's not an excuse if it's true."

"Remember Vladivostok?"

Natasha smirked when Clint groaned loudly and removed the cover of the vent to give her, what she believed was, the finger. Her shoulders shook as she silently laughed at his reaction. That mission was a memorable event for her, but not so much for her partner.

She was about to comment when she heard muttering at the end of the hallway and a tiny flash of light passed through.

"Looks like we have incoming."

"Copy that."

Clint stilled his movements and took an arrow from his quiver. He placed it on the bowstring and pulled. He then lowered it slightly from the vent and aimed at the end of the hallway. Natasha crouched lower and eased herself away from the steam pipes.

"This really reminds of—"

"Don't say it."

"Come on, Clint." She teased. "Let's have a repeat performance of that thoughtlessly improvised plan in Vladivostok: A heist that led us to the trans-Siberian Railway."

"I hate you." He grumbled a pulled the bowstring tighter when the noises got louder. "That damn chase went on for hours just to get Nadushka's fricking diamond."

Natasha shrugged, "We've been through worst."

Four Hydra agents fumbled in the dark as they flashed their lights everywhere. Easily giving their location away, the two assassins prepared to strike. Clint took a deep breath, steadied himself, and took the shot.

The arrow exploded in the middle of the four.

It disrupted their hearing and blinded them. Natasha quickly came out of hiding and swiped two of the men's feet off the ground. She stomped the nearest guy's stomach and punched the other. The other two guys came at her and she dodged their attacks and pulled out her gun.

Clint snickered as blinding flashes and gunshots flew about.

It ended quickly with Natasha as the victor.

Just when they thought the fight on this floor was over, they heard more shouting and footsteps all over the place. Clint groaned in annoyance and dropped down from the ceiling. He took out three arrows as once and aimed them at the direction of the sounds.

"Wow," He commented. "I think we pissed them off."

Natasha sighed, "You think?"

"What's our play?"

"The same as before," She answered as she picked up a machine gun from one of the dead agents. "Pretty sure we're being boxed in. What say you that I deal with these guys and you can deal with the rest behind me?"

"No problem." Clint grinned and positioned himself behind her. "We do have your quirk for hiding in the dark as an advantage."

"Let's make it count then."

Before the men could even take a step into their line of view, Clint fired an arrow at the each end of the hall they were facing. When the men appeared, Clint activated the two arrows and magnetized their enemies' guns. Natasha smirked at her partner's ingenuity and started shooting the agents one by one.

Clint fired his third arrow and it exploded into a net.

It covered the men and electrocuted them.

Natasha scowled when her machine gun ran out of bullets. Instead of picking up another one, she ran towards the remaining men and parried an incoming punch. She kicked the guy at her side and moved her leg back to kick another.

Her fist landed hard on another guy and knocked him out.

A knife came out of nowhere.

She managed to dodge that and elbowed another man on the face. A guy grabbed her hair and dragged her to a nearby pipe and pushed her into it. She grimaced in pain and saw the same knife come at her.

Luckily, Clint was looking out for her.

The guy with the knife got an arrow straight to his forehead and got electrocuted. With a smirk, Natasha jumped up and wrapped her legs on the last man standing and spun around, toppling and knocking him out on the pavement.

She panted and steadied herself on her feet.

Clint shook his head, "You really like to challenge yourself, don't you?"

"Of course," Natasha grinned. "You can't improve if you don't try harder."

Her grin faded when Clint scowled and raised his bow. He carefully took an arrow from his quiver and pointed it at her. When she realized what was happening, she cockily raised her head with grin. The arrow went past her and straight to a man's chest and exploded.

She turned to see the man drop to the floor.

"You okay, Nat?"

"Better than ever, Clint. Nice shot."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't as bad as Vladivostok."

"Please stop with that," Clint groaned as he made sure all the guys who weren't dead were knocked out and restrained. "You seriously have a memory issue. It must be old age."

Natasha ignored the jab and asked, "Where to next?"

"Staircase."

They tapped the small running light on their chests and it helped them navigate through the numerous dark hallways towards the staircase. It led to the facility's main basement entrance that would finally lead them to their main mission, which would most likely be a search and rescue.

"Alright," Natasha declared. "I'll take point here."

"Suit yourself."

"Is the transceiver ready?"

"Yeah," Clint yawned and raised the device. "Guess I'll head on over and plant this somewhere so we can get a layout of this damn place. Stark said there's a strong signal in one of the corridors nearby."

"You know where to go?"

"Assuming the map we picked up is worth all the trouble then yeah, I'm good to go." He said as he took the map out and started pointing at the layout. "We've been through the other side of this level, which means the signal's probably somewhere over here."

"When you get the signal, tell the team to get their asses up here."

"You mean our super-secret boy band?"

"Keep dreaming." Natasha snorted. "Anyways, when can I blow up the place?"

"Didn't you say that was a failsafe for a quick getaway?" Clint laughed when Natasha took out the trigger and hovered a thumb over it. "Remember, this is entirely on you. Once you knock out the pipes, the explosion will be big enough to short-circuit the power."

"That's the point." She smirked. "We'll be in the dark."

"We already are."

"So would they."

"Your strategies are becoming repetitive, Widow."

"Pardon me, Hawkeye." She mused and gave him a playful nudge. "Didn't you say this place was built for me? Besides, no one would know who's on the other end of the flashlight when the chaos happens. They'll be shooting each other before you know it."

"Again," Clint reminded her. "This is on you when Cap starts pointing fingers."

"I'll take the heat."

"You do know they have emergency generators, right?"

"Who cares?"

Natasha pocketed the trigger and nudged Clint to go on his way. The archer posed and shook his hips in playful mockery as he made his exit with a grin. He looked at the map again and turned left where Natasha had lost sight of him completely.

Black Widow, he thought.

She wasn't called that for nothing.

Like a spider spinning her web, Natasha knelt by the corner of the concrete stairs and waited for Clint to return. She pulled out the stun batons from her belt and spun it around to take time off. Her back was pressed to the wall as she lazily and impatiently sat there.

A few minutes later, her comm gave an ear-piercing screech.

"Nat, you there?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"The map isn't accurate." Clint's voice dripped with frustration. "There are tons of new hallways where there shouldn't be any. Stark's instructions aren't any fucking better either."

"Calm down, Clint."

"I'm alone in the dark, Nat."

"Don't let the rug-rats know you're scared of the dark."

"Aw, come on."

"No need to get grumpy, old man." She teased as she fiddled with her batons and peeked from the corner. "You'll be fine, Clint. You have good memory. I'm sure you'll be able to get back here without any help."

"Let's hope I'm not kidnapped by the boogeyman."

"You're being dramatic."

"See you in the afterlife, Natasha."

Natasha rolled her eyes and wondered what would have happened if they simply switched places. With a sigh she said, "Stop whining and keep going. The sooner you do this, the faster we get out of this Hydra-infested dump."

"Easy for you to say."

"Less talking, more walking. We have a counterpart to rescue."

"If there really is one."

"Clint."

"We need a goddamn vacation."

"You'll probably get your wish." Natasha mumbled. "Let me know if you found it."

The comms turned off.

Natasha had known Clint's desire for a vacation for many years now. There had been times he had joked about retiring throughout their numerous vacations, but he never really made that happen.

But this time…

Something told her that it may well happen. It made her think if she wanted one as well. After careful thinking, she realized she wasn't too keen on the idea of idle life.

What would she even do?

Half an hour of stray thoughts and dreams later, Natasha wondered where her partner was. More importantly, where were the Hydra agents that were supposedly lurking about? The layout of the building may be big, but she expected several encounters by now.

There.

She jinxed it.

All of a sudden, the heavy doors opened and a flash of light surveyed the bottom of the stairs. Finally, some action! Being alone with her thoughts was nightmare. She grinned, raised her batons, and counted the slow moving footsteps headed towards her.

Just three…

Good.

Her batons lit up into neon-blue streaks that would knock anyone out from the high voltage alone. Once the three Hydra agents were near, she jumped out of hiding and swung the batons.

They dodged it easily, but she was faster.

Attacking with grace, she used the stairs and maneuvered her body to strike at one of the men's weapons and jabbed her knee at another guy's crotch. Quickly, she spun and brought her heels to the middle guy's head. As for the third one on the right, she brought down her baton on his neck, giving her some time to assess her enemies.

They were huge!

The three men were physical endowed, looking like they came straight out of a horror film. Modified was the perfect term for them. What she didn't expect wasjust how modified they were.

The man she was electrocuting had fallen to his knees, but he was far from knocked out. It sickened Natasha that the man was actually enjoying it. The man swiped her baton, pushed her against the wall, and held her there.

The other two had gotten on their feet, smiling.

Natasha glared, "That's not fair."

Before they could fire their guns at her, she threw the remaining baton in her hand and picked the other one, only to let it fly a second later. It hit two of the men, giving her enough time to run up the wall, push off it, and kick another man on the head.

It wasn't long lasting though.

The man in the middle grabbed her collar and locked his arms around her neck. He squeezed while the man on the left punched her stomach.

Natasha hissed and activated her bracelets.

Widows bite…

It singed the man's arm, prompting him to release her. When she got free, she dodged the incoming punch headed her way and the hand landed on the wall with a painful crack. She lost track of who was who, and played on her instincts instead. She used the nearest man as leverage and crawled on top of him to do a somersault.

Finally, she had the advantage of being at the top of the stairs.

She leapt and spread her legs to knock the two guys down the stairs before flipping back into position. She heard a crack from one of the men. Wonderful! There were two left. She dodged the punches with ease and elbowed the man next to her.

His lip split and his nose cracked and bled.

Natasha pulled the gun from the other guy's belt and shot the other.

One left.

The man was wild and too close for her to properly aim at his head. She instead shot his thigh, and he groaned to a stop. Natasha raised a leg and wrapped it around his neck as she picked up on of the stun batons.

She felt the guy clawing at her to break free.

With a grin, Natasha crawled on top of him, wrapped her legs around him and secured herself on his shoulders. She brought the stun baton to his face and used Widow's bite to help. The man couldn't break free fast enough as he screamed in pain. He tried to knock Natasha off him by pushing back at the wall.

Suddenly, her comm screeched back to life.

"Nat, I called the team."

"Then get your ass up here now!"

"On my way!"

The smell of the man's face burning was a victory, but it wasn't over. The man struggled enough that he managed to pull her off him. When Natasha got back on her feet, the man backhanded her and her lip split.

There was a heavy pause.

She slowly turned towards him with a smirk as she raised the gun she had picked up before she stood. Click. Just like that, it was over. The man's eyes rolled up as blood trickled down his forehead.

He collapsed and slid down the stairs like a ragdoll.

Natasha winced and slowly sat down at the top of the stairs. She wiped the blood off her lips and eyed the three dead men below. They deserved it. With a sigh, she leaned back and tapped her comms, "Please tell me they've got the message."

"You good over there?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Roughed up, but nothing serious." His voice was raspy as he panted. It sounded like he had just finished a marathon. "I ran into some guys a few minutes ago, but that's done and over with. I did find the signal and hid the transceiver. The team's headed up here as we speak."

"Good. Must've been a walk in the park for you."

"We've been through worst."

"You can say that again."

"Anyways," He tiredly chuckled. "Stark told me the transceiver will help, but we shouldn't count on it getting a layout of the entire place. Signal is still too weak. He can only track from a short distance, but Jarvis is memorizing everything, so we'll be fine."

"Assuming we get the counterpart, you'll soon get your vacation."

"That's still debatable."

Natasha paused and turned to the door. Her gaze narrowed as she silently cursed. "I'll call you back." She said as she picked up her batons and took a stance. "I think I'll be a bit busy for a while."

"Copy that."

oOo

Robert was afraid.

This wasn't like the other times in his life where the world had gone dark and there was no hope left to believe in. No. This was genuine fear. The burning of his hands and the panic that worked its way into his chest was beyond his comprehension.

It never occurred to him that he would experience such a life threatening event, and it was all the more confusing that he'd be in the thick of it.

Robert sighed in misery, "What did I do to deserve this?"

He was about to complain to a nearby guard when all of a sudden, the radios screeched to life and a man started crying on the other end. The signal was severely choppy and everyone had to strain in to listen.

"We… nee… ackup now!"

"Repeat status."

"A brea… at the… burr…"

"Say that again."

"We need reinforcements!" The man yelled as the signal finally cleared. "We have a breach at the burrow, Sector 3, 4th basement. They've— shit… they've got us cornered! Get the goddamn strike team down here!"

Robert could have sworn he heard gun shots.

"Where are they coming from?!"

"Down the hall!"

"Fuck! Get down!"

The building shook slightly as they heard and felt the explosion on the other end. The power went out. Everyone was in the dark. Robert could hear their panicked breathing, but he didn't realize that it was his all along.

Finally, the backup generators came to life.

Lights in the corners opened, but the entire place was dimmed.

Robert wondered if the electric bars in his cell were still activated despite the power outage. If it was or if it wasn't, he dared not test it. He had learned his lesson the first time. He wasn't dumb enough to try a second.

Suddenly, the radios screeched back to life.

Everyone thought that was the end of it, but no one was prepared to hear the numerous gunshots and the sound of people dying. Robert had it worst. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt his heart skip a beat.

"It's not real." He told himself. "It's just a nightmare."

Ambivalent about the entire situation, Robert tried an optimistic thought. All of this trouble was for the sake of rescuing him. That was nice. It just wasn't something to hope about because the fight clearly wasn't finished.

"Agent, you still there?"

"Knox's dead." A raspy voice panted. "We've got Fury's dogs on our tails."

"Which ones?"

"The redhead and the archer."

"Those lapdogs should be dead by now!" The head agent shouted as he counted the men who were still in the area. "I've already sent a bunch of men down there! Don't tell me they can't handle a couple of amateur—?"

There was a single gunshot, a gurgle, and the line died.

"Fucking bastards!" That prompted a quick and irritated response from, what Robert deemed was, the boss. One by one, half of the men stationed above left the room. Robert counted fifteen and lost count from there.

A strong gut feeling told him those men won't live to tell the tale.

Brows were furrowed, weapons were raised, and Robert could've sworn the air was unbreathable from the tension. It made him anxious and woozy. He swallowed with heavy anticipation as he felt cold sweat trickle down his throat.

What now?

In an attempt to distract his befuddled mind, he found himself staring at the two men near his jail cell. They were surprisingly as nervous as he was. Slowly and as subtly as he could, he shifted closer to the bars and strained in to listen.

The men's voices were deep and their accents heavy, making it difficult for Robert to hear what they were saying.

But still, he tried.

"This is pathetic," The brutish man whispered. "We cannot stay here."

"Why?" The scruffy older man huffed. "You bored?"

"We should fight."

"They already sent men down there, Nick." The man scoffed at his companion's ridiculous logic. "There's no point in trying. Not every battle is glorious, so do not expect more from what we were ordered to do."

"And if they need help?"

"As if you care."

"I don't." Nick huffed. "But I live for our future."

"You live for the battle," The older man corrected. "The men need no help. They must learn to die for the job. It's a worthy cause if means Hydra prevails in our endeavors."

Nick didn't appreciate that type of answer, Robert noted.

The guy was about to reply when the peace was suddenly interrupted by a babbling, bleeding Hydra agent that rushed through the door. It was a horror show! The man was sobbing his heart out and explaining to the boss.

The older man nudged Nick to keep quiet.

Robert wasn't sure what he was expecting when the babbling guy was shot and more men were ordered to secure the area. Robert felt bile in his throat and swallowed it back down and turned away.

These men were delusional.

He shook his head and turned back to the two guards, who visibly paled at the unexpected execution. Their reasons may be different from his, but he was sure he wasn't the only one who wasn't used to seeing that type of shenanigan on a daily basis.

Nick huffed, "Still want to stay here, Ace?"

"This is what Hydra trained us for," was the reply the old man had given. "We cannot take everything into the fire. We comply, not complain. Now stand your post and let the men do their jobs."

Robert made a face.

That was… anti-climactic.

He wondered if there was a way to pry the information out of them directly. Several movies came to mind, but he wasn't sure if it really worked in real life. Oh well, what's the worst that could happen?

"Hey!" Robert called.

He didn't expect them to actually turn, so when they did, he was genuinely surprised. Nick and Ace's expressions were lined with confusion. Robert returned their unyielding gaze by raising his eyebrows.

At any given time, if the situation wasn't so dire, he would've laughed it off.

"Just curious," He started. "What's the commotion about?"

Ace grimaced, "Not your business, Stark."

"It's Robert, pal."

"Whatever."

"Does that mean you don't know?" He saw the man shift with unease, so he showered him with more invasive questions. "What's the big deal anyway? Where did your friends go? Is it that bad you can't tell me? I mean, I get the blonde chick ordered you to guard me and wait for the Avengers, but this is ridiculous. Seriously—"

Nick sneered, "The Avengers aren't gods to be worshipped."

"Thor's a god."

"He's an exception."

"And a cheat," Ace added. "Hydra is unstoppable and Shield will fall."

"Yeah," Robert shrugged, hoping for the conversation to progress. "Hydra's just another organization bent on dominating earth like a parasite. It's not something to worship either. But hey, not pointing fingers. I just want to know what the hell is going on in this dark, dank-ass place."

"You underestimate the threat of Hydra."

"Do I?"

"Cut one head off and two more shall take its place." Nick grinned. "Sit tight and watch the show. The Avengers won't last an hour in this facility crawling with agents."

Robert crossed his arms, "You mean you're all disposable."

The two guards frowned at him and Robert started to rethink his luck. Fate was kind to him when the two guards dismissed his jab and turned their backs. He let out a sigh of relief and stood up to dust his jeans.

He paced for a while until he heard another radio go off.

Half of the men took a defensive position, aiming all their weapons at the entrances. One of the guards started yelling in a different language while the others tried to take an offensive position by the several crates strewn about.

Robert smirked, "Pretty sure you're the ones not coming out of this alive."

Ace and Nick glowered as they turned their attention back at the doors. Bright lights flashed from the tinted skylights and the loud, heavy roar of thunder followed. This was a waiting game that Robert had fallen straight into.

He looked around and secretly hoped the Avengers were coming.

"Damn," Robert ran a hand through his hair. "Let's just say I believe these assholes. What the hell is taking the Avengers so long?"

oOo

After receiving Clint's hurried message, the rest of the Avengers made their way up the emergency exits where their presence was undetectable. Tony opted for the direct route up, but Steve was ever cautious.

Half an hour later, they reached the end of the exit.

"We're here." Thor declared.

"It's dark." Steve assessed.

"Why do you think that is?" Tony sarcastically said as they stared at the door windows. "Clint and Natasha took out the power. Sure these Hydra goons have a backup generator, but that's not enough to power this entire place with it being this old."

"Thank you for the heads up, Stark."

"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing?"

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, no need to do your scolding dad face." Tony scoffed and took a step back. He made a wide gesture to Thor and said, "Break the doors, big guy. As much as I want to use the suit, I want to preserve the battery."

"You're joking, right?" Steve voiced.

"A little," He shrugged. "It's just an excuse to see Thor in action again."

Thor chuckled, "Then say no more."

The god blasted the door open with Mjölnir.

It was so strong that the door skidded to the other end of the hall. They were then greeted with a very dark hallway. However, Thor wasn't afraid of what might be lurking in the shadows. He took a step forward and readied Mjölnir.

"No one here." Tony said. "Thermal scans are negative."

"Can't be too cautious." Steve said.

"What are we waiting for?"

"I wouldn't be too hasty, my friends." Thor voiced, feeling a tingling sensation all over his body. "Although it is fading quickly, I still feel remnants of magic and it is not a good thing."

"Loki's?" Steve asked.

"Somewhat."

Tony huffed, "Let's move on, shall we?"

His impatience landed him in a lot of trouble throughout the years, and not once did he ever feel guilty for it. This time was different. He could feel Steve's gaze boring into his soul. Tony wasn't called stubborn for nothing.

"Are you really guilt-tripping me with that stare?"

"Maybe," Steve stated.

"God," Tony groaned. "We have two assassins doing the work for us. They probably cleared the entire place by now. And I already checked the thermal scans and the transceiver nearby. Flat nothing."

"We stick together."

"Yes."

"Stir clear of distractions."

Tony whined, "Fine. I get it. Sheesh!"

Honestly, just thinking about it made Steve's head hurt. He didn't expect them to be good friends by the end of the day, but he did expect a little more respect. He felt that he and Tony would always be at odds, and he hoped that wasn't the case.

Now that he thought about it…

It was probably Howard that was getting in the way of their friendship.

Clearly it wasn't just Tony and Steve who were uncomfortable with their current relationship. Even Thor felt the unusual tension. He was the alien around here, but he got on better with everyone than everyone did with each other

"As much as I like our talks," Thor spoke up. "Where are we headed next?"

That seemed to snap the two out of the clouds. Tony raised his left arm and showed them the layout of the building. His face scrunched up a moment later, confusing the rest of the team.

Steve scowled, "Something wrong?"

"No, must be the turbulent signal." Tony shook his head and tried to think positive. "We just have to take a right, a left, another left, right, straight— three hallways down, take another right and the stairs should be there."

"Wonderful," Thor quickly said. "Shall we?"

"Alright, let's go."

Thor surprised the Tony and Steve when he took the lead. They didn't think Thor had that instruction memorized so quickly. They followed him and were greeted with numerous dead bodies. None of them commented on it, but they all knew what was going on in each other's minds.

For Tony, these men deserved their end.

For Thor, it was a victory worth fighting for.

For Steve, well…

His moral opinion on the entire thing was split. He knew the cost of saving the world and the people you love. There are always risks involved. So he paid no mind to the massacre they walked into as they made their way through the darkness.

A few minutes later, they finally met up with the team.

Natasha and Clint were sitting at the top of the stairs while numerous dead bodies were at the bottom. The bodies were stacked into a neat pile in the corner, while another pile was set aside for their weapons.

It was slightly morbid.

Steve could see countless gashes marring the two assassin's bodies.

Clint had a scratch on his forehead, a few scrapes and bruises on his cheek, and bandages on his leg. Natasha was far worse looking than her partner. She had her lip split, a cut on her nose, a bruise on her chin, and three bandages on her arm and hands alone.

"I think you should sit the rest of the mission out."

"And leave the fun to you?" Natasha smirked, clearly amused and touched by Steve's words. "We'll be fine. What took you so long?"

"The dead bodies we had to step over to get here." Tony joked.

"Not cool, dude." Clint voiced.

"You guys look awful."

"We're alive." Natasha shrugged and leaned back. "And we've secured the area."

"Which is a good thing," Steve assured. "Good job." The two assassins smiled at the praise as Steve continued to take leadership. "We've sealed off the exits so the only way they're going is up and out. Tony has the map laid out. We can start from there."

"I guess I'll start show and tell." Tony mumbled.

He pulled up a hologram from his suit and showed the layout of the building that he acquired from the transceiver he made.

"Wow," Clint chuckled. "Looks like we're not that far from our target."

Natasha crossed her arms, "What's new?"

"Well," Tony mumbled. "Thor said there's magic still in the area, so my guess is that's what's causing the interference with the signal. The transceiver helped, even just a little goes a long way. So, what do you want first, good news or bad news?"

"Good news." Clint urged.

"See here?" He pointed. "That huge area is where our guy is. Bad news is that it's probably heavily guarded."

"That's why we need a plan." Steve stated.

"I have one." Thor said.

Without wasting time, the Thunderer walked up the stairs and moved past Clint and Natasha. He ignored everyone's warnings and made it through the hallways with ease. Everyone in the team was stunned.

Clint blinked, "Should we… follow him?"

"Let's go." Steve said.

"Hold on," Tony cried and made a 'time out' with his hands. "You eyeball me to be cautious, but you can't do the same to Thor?"

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Let's go."

She and Clint stood up and turned to the door. Tony continued to complain as he and Steve followed close behind the two assassins.

Their good moment didn't last long.

Luck was on their side when Thor had gone first, because as soon as they turned a corner, Hydra agents were out for blood and bullets started flying. The rest of the Avengers took cover, but Thor could handle the blows.

He threw Mjölnir and a grenade from one of the agents exploded.

"Look on the bright side," Tony voiced as the chaos slowly died down. "The faster we get this done, the sooner we could get home and have a few drinks."

"I second that." Clint said.

"Stay behind." Steve ordered as he readied his shield. "You've done more than enough."

"We will." Natasha said.

"Stark!"

Tony took the memo, raised his arm, and shot a small missile towards the Hydra agents. It stunned them, leaving Steve an opening. The Captain threw his shield and it bounced off the walls, knocking them out.

Thor stood there with a smile on his face, clearly enjoying the change. Tony fell back and guarded the two assassins as they recovered. He was also busy scanning the rest of the area that the transceiver couldn't reach.

"Hey, Tin Can." Clint called. "You got eyes on our prize?"

"Yeah," Tony voiced. "Scanner's done."

"And?"

"Big area's surrounded," He showed the two of them. "And they have a prisoner."

"Will you look at that?" Natasha smiled and nudged her partner, who didn't look that happy to hear it. "I'm right: we have a damsel in distress."

"More like a lad." Tony mumbled.

Clint rolled his eyes, "Whoop-de-doo."

When the fight finished and the hallway was cleared, the rest of the team came out of hiding. "We got something." Tony showed Steve and Thor the new layout along with the Hydra agents positioned in the area. "We're outnumbered and heavily outgunned."

Natasha smiled, "That never stopped us."

"The Tesseract?" Steve asked.

"Not here." Tony said as he pointed. "But we do have a counterpart to rescue. Hydra agents are there though. Balcony is covered. They're also strategically positioned that anywhere they hit— they'll definitely hit it. They even have a sniper on the roof."

"In this weather?" Steve blinked.

"I know right."

"I'll take care of him." Clint volunteered. "I just need a clear shot."

"I'll cover you." Natasha announced.

"We have an opening— here and here." Steve pointed at the two entrances on the ground. "Stark and I can surprise them and draw the attention off for you to take over the balcony and shoot the sniper down."

"And the counterpart?" Thor asked.

"That's where you come in."

"Very well."

"One thing," Tony piped up and zoomed into the cage in the middle corner of the facility. "Our guy will get caught in the crossfire. That's not a wall or reinforced glass. Those are steel bars, and Jarvis tells me they're rigged to electrocute."

"All the more reason for Thor to get him," Steve nodded to the Thunderer. "Take out as many as you can, but be careful and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Our priority is to get him out and move him to the Quinjet."

"I'll fly him out if I have to." Thor said.

The rest of the Avengers looked at each other and wondered if Thor was serious about it, but knowing how little Thor knew of earth's moral customs… well… it was best to leave the lecture for later.

"So we're splitting?" Natasha inquired.

Steve sighed, "We have to."

"I'll take the back entrance." Tony volunteered. "Cap can take this entrance."

"Someone has to burst in first," Clint mumbled and started pointing. "If Stark goes first, the guards will all point at that direction, then Cap comes in and they start shooting there. I guess that's the time Nat and I could make our entrance."

"Entrance here is closer," Steve directed. "You can take more men out this way."

"Copy that." Natasha smirked.

"I can come from above." Thor grinned as he pointed. "I could drop from here and take out the guards. I will assist the rest of you as I secure the safety of the counterpart."

"Good idea." Steve nodded.

"Great." Clint agreed and readied his arrows. "That would startle their sniper— time enough for me to shoot him down."

"We guys good?" Tony beamed.

"Alright," Steve took a deep breath and eyed his teammates. "Our top priority is to get this counterpart to safety. Second priority is to take Hydra down. We can worry about the rest later. If you can help it, knock them out. We may need to interrogate some of them."

Tony gestured, "That's not a problem for these two."

"I doubt they'll talk," Natasha cocked her gun. "But we'll make them."

"Yeah, but we seem to be missing the point." Clint chuckled half-heartedly. "This is Hydra we're talking about. They'll probably take it to their graves."

"I don't think they will."

"Don't they have a saying?"

"Cut one head off and two more shall take its place." Steve recited with a frown as he remembered something from his past. "That saying won't come to pass. We already have the advantage of information from another source."

He took one last look at the team.

"Alright, let's go."

oOo

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