Time to go

Hunting the hawk

Clint felt like there was a house pressing down on his chest, all the weight that had slowly accumulated since he left the tower dropped onto him like one huge pile of shit. He couldn't do anything, he couldn't talk, he couldn't breath, all he could hear was one thought running through his mind.

They found me. They know I'm alive, Natasha knows I'm here.

Part of him was excited, they had found him. He could go back to New York,he could go back to Kate and Lucky and Barney!

But the other half of him could see the death and destruction that was never far behind him,if he went back would he doom them all?

Also. Clint thought, his heart twisting. What if they don't want me back? What if I show up at their door only to be turned away? To go back and instead of being an avenger being sent back to SHIELD without my partner, to spend the rest of my life behind a desk?

"Dude?" Zachary prodded lightly, knocking him out of his thoughts and prompting him to answer.

"No." Clint rasped,sounding almost hallow. "I've never heard that name before in my life."

Zachary raised his eye brows at Clint's obviously blatant lie, but didn't press it. Instead he put the phone back to his ear.

"I'm sorry, the only Clint we've ever had on record left when he was eighteen." Zachary spoke so smoothly that anyone who wasn't trained wouldn't even hear the lies twirled into it.

But Clint knew, he knew that on the other end of the phone his used to be teammates were waiting for an answer. Bruce was probably rocking in his chair slightly uncomfortable, Tony is probably fiddling with something and Natasha there was no probably with her. Clint knew that she was sitting in her chair, looking relaxed but in reality she was on high alert and straining to hear both sides of the conversation.

Strangely just thinking about Natasha made his heart twinge slightly.

__________________________

Steve thanked the man and hung up sighing.

"They say there hasn't been a Clint in their circus in a very long time. Do you think he's using alias?"

Natasha snorted, "Clint's aliases are all SHIELD made and are linked in their computer database. Whenever SHIELD creates a alias they put in a Internet footprint, past bill records, they make this person real. They also track that name as well, so they can find out where their agents are and if another person exists with the same name. If Clint was using an alias he would have to make one himself. Something that would be terribly hard to do when he can't talk to any of his contacts or get the fake papers without someone finding out he was alive."

Tony groaned. "Well there goes our only lead! And my chance to see the circus again!"

Bruce rolled his eyes, "Not really, Tony do you think you can take the crackle out of the phone line and play it?"

"Like I haven't already," Tony sniffed, but played the tape anyway.

The message played through, this time missing it's normal crackling that had covered up the sound of one raspy voice.

"No, I've never heard that name before in my life."

Natasha almost smiled, it was good to hear Clint's voice again. No matter if it was denying any connection to the avengers or not.

"So, he is there. How are we going to bring him home?" Tony questioned.

Bruce frowned, "What if we are missing something? Clint obviously didn't want us to know where he was, what if he doesn't want to come home?"