Black Hawk Down

Chapter Sixteen

"Agents Barton and Romanoff left early this morning and haven't been back since," Tony's voice carried reasonably clearly to them as he came down the hallway towards the elevator. "I can show you their rooms if you like but they took a bag each of what looked like clothing so I don't think they'll be coming back for some time. Are you sure they aren't on a mission?"

"No they aren't," Rumlow's frustrated voice carried into the elevator shaft easily.

"Really I was sure that would be why they were leaving," Tony sounded shocked. "They acted like it was just another mission. All the we're off to a classified location, don't know when we'll be back, and we'll be out of contact stuff they pull every time."

"Well any 'mission' they might be on is not a Council given mission," Rumlow all but growled.

"Oh well, maybe Fury gave it to them who knows, or maybe they decided they wanted a holiday and told me that so I wouldn't track them." Tony muttered.

"Can you track them?"

"Maybe if they have their Stark phones on them," Tony said.

Natasha and Clint looked at each other with an, 'I don't, do you?' expression. They both shook their heads and relaxed slightly. The elevator began to ascend the tower and stopped on their shared floor. Clint suddenly looked at Natasha and frantically signed, 'Laptop?'

'Right here along with the SD card,' she signed back tapping on her duffel.

"Search this floor for any sign of them. Mr Stark I want you to track their phones and I want to see the security footage of them leaving the tower." Rumlow ordered.

"I can pull up the security feeds from either of these rooms but it might take a little bit longer because I have to get Bruce to put the signal through." Tony said dialling a number on his phone. "Bruce I need the security feeds from this morning around the time Agents Barton and Romanoff left. And can you rout it through to Natasha's room's screens." There was a pause as Tony listened. "I know it might take a little while... just be as quick as you can ok. I'm going to try tracking their Stark phones... I know they probably have a good reason for going off grid like that but this guy is insistent that they must be found... I don't know what they did if they did anything... This guy's not telling me anything." Stark ended the call.

'We need to move,' Clint signed to Natasha.

'I know,' she nodded. 'The guards are gone, let's go.'

Clint moved quickly to reach an air vent in the side of the elevator shaft. He quickly shoved the vent cover into the vent and pulled himself up. Natasha began passing their three bags up to him one at a time as he gestured for them. He had just taken the last bag from her and was lifting it into the vent as he heard the lift began to move down the tower again. "Natasha?" Clint called quietly down to her afraid she would be out of his reach by the time he had his hands free to help her up.

"Clint, a little help?" Natasha's voice came from not far below him.

"Tasha?" Clint whispered quickly shoving the bag behind him so his hands were free. He leaned out into the elevator shaft far enough to see her dangling by one hand from a tiny ledge just below the lip of the air vent. "Tasha?"

"I'm fine just help me up," Natasha assured him. Clint reached down as far as he could while Natasha pulled herself up so she could grab the ledge in both hands.

"I need you to take my hand, Nat," Clint whispered down to her. She nodded releasing the ledge with one hand and reaching up towards him. He managed to grab her hand then her wrist as he gently pulled her up into the vent beside him. Both Agents had to take a moment to steady their breathing as the thoughts of what could have happened sank in. Clint refused to let her hand go as he fought to get himself under control again.