Natasha's POV
After my mid-night adventure with Steve the temperature plummeted and it was clear that winter was on the horizon. It started as a slow decline for a few days before plummeting all together. If you stepped outside your nose would turn pink and your breath would turn to mist.
At night when you were trying to sleep your toes would grow cold and it would spread through your body causing you to shiver in your sleep. All of this was exactly why I was outside in the cold hacking away at the logs piled waist high. My whole body was numb, I couldn't feel anything, and it was great. I couldn't feel the tiredness that had plagued me the past few days, or the boredom that constantly followed me, and most importantly my thoughts. Lately it had become even harder to sleep and I found that the only way I could, was to work myself until pure exhaustion consumed me.
The familiar weight of the axe rested in my hands as it slid through my grip providing a satisfying thud as the wood split. I had been out here most of the morning, by that I mean before the sun's rays kissed the tops of the trees. With light finally finding its way into the world the others had come and gone from the homestead no one questioning me, which was a good thing, not for me but for them, after all I was holding a deadly weapon. Again I swung and again my mark was precise. Having created a rather large pile of wood I knelt in the frost covered grass to gather up my mess. With my arms full I brought the contents in my arms around the house until I reached another pile, this one consisting of split logs. Tossing my load down I headed back the way I had come to start the process all over again. Rolling my shoulders I grabbed the axe's shaft and raised it above my head before bringing it down. Thud, swing, thud, swing,thud. It soon became a rythm and, I a mindless machine.
It was a long time before I noticed anything and when I did it was the pain that rocketed through my entire body shaking me to the core. Sucking in a sharp breath I let the axe plummet to the ground. Standing I rocked on my heels waiting for the pain to pass. When it did my muscles quaked in a shudder and I finally noticed how cold it was outside. Blowing a breath of misty air I hurriedly stomped up the steps and through the door shutting it with a thud behind me. My fingers were numb and my toes seemed to be non existant despite my boots. Jumping up and down in place I blew hot air into my hands and rubbed them trying to force the sensation of feeling.
"I was wondering when you'd finally come in." Laura smiled sitting at the table with two steaming cups. Shuffling over I sat in the seat across from her. The next thing I know a cup was in my hands and the steam wafting up and into my face.
"What's this I breathed?" She took a sip from her mug before giving a fleeting glance outside.
"Hot chocolate. I figured it was about time to whip the best winter drink out. You know the first snow is predicted to come tomorrow?"
"Really?" I winced internally at this revelation. So much for doing outside activities to keep myself in check. A long pause passed between us, long enough for my fingers to tingle with feeling like a million little ants were dancing on my hands.
"If you don't mind me asking, it seems to me like something's bothering you. What is it?" I swallowed another sip of my drink pondering the question.
" Call me crazy but I have this feeling that we shouldn't be here."
"As do I." Thor interjected with a grumble appearing in the doorway with ribbons tied in his hair. Smirking I fought away my laughter hiding it with a cough.
" Thor come back! You have to play!" Client's daughter called from the other room.
"Yeah Goldilocks!" Tony insisted. With a grudging sigh Thor turned and left going back to whatever pitiful game he was being subjected to.
"Cheer up. Hopefully it won't be for much longer." Laura mused getting to here feet and exiting the room with a warm smile to observe Thor's torture. If you had any idea what I meant. Shaking my head I stood, rinsed my cup out and headed into the cold. The bitter wind spit its cruel words in my face and I rushed towards the guest house. Something was wrong and I could feel it I just wasn't sure what it was. We had almost a week of peace. Not a single word from Fury, no update from SHIELD on when we would return, and worst of all the growing dread that something terrible was about to happen.
That night I sat by the window watching the stars twinkle in the sky. Scarrlet was sitting next to me neither of us able to sleep much more than a few hours. I had told her about my growing sense of dread and she noted that It matched hers. We gazed silently out into the dark when a flash of yellow caught the corner of my eye. What? Jolting slightly ndext to me Scarrlet met my gaze. She opened the window silently the air rushing in with a frigid whisper. Leaning out she tried to determine what had been seen. A moment later came another yellow flash of light followed by many other combinations.
"What is that?" Scarrlet asked her eyes a mixture of burning curiosityand worry.
"Morse code." Without another word I slipped through the opening landing lightly on the ground. Scar took a more careful approach using the gutter to get closer to the ground before leaping.
"What do we do?" She's asksd.
"We go see what it is they want." With that I turned hurrying into the darkness. More yellow flashes of light came at different intervals until we arrived at the designated spot. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw who if was.
"Hope?" I asked. She gave a quick glance over her shoulder and when our eyes met I could see the hurried panic in them. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't have much time!" She whispers thrusting something sleek and smooth into my hands. " Do not open that until you are inside. Keep the blinds closed, only you and the team can see this. Not even Laura the less she knows the better."
"Wait what?" Scarrlet asked.
"The device will turn on when you open it. There are two lights at the base one red one green. When the light is green it means I am safe, and able to respond. When that light shows press the button on the bottom of the screen." With that she shrank the sound of buzzing wings faint. Scarrlet placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Do you feel that?" She asked. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
"Yeah." We were being watched. " Walk with me. Make it look like we came out for a stroll."
We walked for what felt like forever but was merely a few minutes. My heart pounded but I kept it in check. Something I had been trained to do, do not show your edginess, do not show your nervousness. After walking a short loop we made it back to the guest house hurriedly we closed off all possible points to see in our out. Scarrlet left to rouse the guys while I made one last sweep of the room. The sound of grumbling voices filled the halls as they marched upstairs towards the less cluttered room.
"What's so important that you had to wake us up and why are all of the blinds down?" Tony whined.
"Someone go get Clint. Make sure you use the back door." Scarrlet breathed barely speaking in a whisper. Bruce shuffled out of the room and returned moments later with Clint. Both looked numb to the bone and Steve tossed a blanket to each of them. Pulling out the nightstand I rested the little tripod screened device in the center.
"What's that?" Clint asked perching on the edge of a bed.
" Scarrlet and I talked to Hope."
"Just now?" Tong interrupted.
"Yes, she gave us this. Whatever it is it's important. She left with little said but told us to wait until a green light turns on." Scarrlet instructed tapping her fingers nervously.
"That doesn't seem like a lot of information." Bruce frowned. The room was silent after he stated his thoughts aloud. The curiosity and anticipation was almost suffocating. Finally the tripod sent a tiny green gkow through the room. Lunging forward Scarrlet eagerly pushed the button at the base of the screen.
"Hello? Are you guys there?" A voice inquired.
"Yes, all of us are present." A relived sigh followed my words. A quizical look passed around our gathered little group.
" Good, now lets make this as fast as possible. First of all sorry for the secrecy. Orders from Fury said I should be as vague and discreet as possible. We figured out a piece of the puzzle. Fury was able to track down the location of the girl that hacked Stark's systems." The look passed around the group again.
"Hold up. I thought you and Any Boy were doing a mission halfway across the globe." Tony pressed.
"We were... When They contacted us. He needed to get in touch with you without making it obvious. He sent me." She stated carefully.
"What is it that we need to know?" Steve asked the anxiety clear in his voice. As the words left his mouth the tablet came alive and a projection of a room floated in the air.
"This is the bunker they busted about two days ago. Not a single person was in it. The only thing that led us closer to anything was this." A new image appeared, it was that of a smooth hstome wall and the same series of numbers I had discovered only this time under it was a gigantic red letter x. Involuntarily everyone turned to look at me. Purposefully I ignored them, and thankfully they didn't notice my white knuckled fists hurried in my lap. "They said you guys would know what to make of this. Oh, and one more thing, there was an inscription cxarved in the wall."
Another image hovered in the darkened room showing many fuzzy and mishappen figures but they were not deformed enough to not read. Steve sucked in a sharp breath from behind me both of us coming to the same conclusion.," Do anmy of you know what this means?"
"Yeah. It's an old military code. One I haven't seen since we'll since I went under." Clint glanced between us.
"So?" He started, "what does it say?"
"The wolves are a'howling." Steve whispered. "It wasn't an official term for generals or anything but some of the soldiers took it up."
"Yeah, only I know where this is, and what it means. It was something we used to use. A command really." I grumbled.
"What does it mean?" Scarrlet asked. Steve studied his shoes.
"Time for the kill."
FOR THOSE WONDERING I PLACED SECOND IN MY DISTRICT WITH A TIME OF 19:14 FOR THREE MILES. MY TEAM PLACED SECOND MISSING FIRST BY ONE STINKING POINT!