Back in the Avengers tower, Bruce gathered the other Avengers together in the common room. Deciding that this was going to be a good teachable moment, he had drug a large whiteboard, a pointing stick and a pile of erasable markers up into the common room. The other avengers were not amused in Bruce's mock classroom, not in the least.
But Tony motioned for them to go along with it, because he knew that look in Bruce's eye, the scientist had an idea.
As Steve sat down he gave a passing glance at the empty whiteboard. "What's so important Bruce?" His tone was tired, like all he would rather do right now is sleep.
"I think I have a plan-" Bruce started but was immediately cut off by Tony.
"You found a way to help Clint and Bucky escape?" He sounded both excited and sceptical.
Bruce could feel the eyes of his teammates baring into his skin, they all were so hopeful. They all wanted a magical answer to their problems, yet none of them had the ability to believe in magic anymore. Bruce could almost see in his mind the way their hope would deflate when he told them that he had only bought them some time. All he would do is disappoint them, maybe gathering them together was a bad idea after all.
But Bruce pushed these thoughts to the side and pressed on, full steam ahead like a nerdy steam engine.
"Not exactly, but I found a way to buy us some time."
Bruce quickly uncapped a marker and began to scribble a basic diagram of the SHIELD cells, unable to meet his teammates' eyes. Then he heard Steve's voice.
"Buy us some time?" He sounded a bit confused.
Before Bruce could answer, Natasha jumped into an explanation.
"It takes roughly two weeks before there is no point trying to save Clint or Bucky anymore. SHIELD reinvented solitary confinement when they made those cells, they feed you one kind of food, you don't shower, the lights never go out, you have no view of the outside world, there are constant eyes watching you and you have literally no contact with any other human. Some of the stronger people put through those cells have lasted longer, but it isn't common, usually the people drug out either because they tried to kill themselves or are raving lunatics." Natasha's voice dropped a bit lower. "I should know. I helped test them."
Tony's eyes widened at this statement, but he knew better than to say anything. Instead he turned the conversation back to Bruce.
"So buddy, you had a plan?"
Bruce nodded and pointed to his crude drawing with his pointer stick.
"As you all probably noticed there are no windows and no way to physically enter a cell or get near the door without being spotted on a monitor. But the thing is the camera don't pick up sound very well, so technically we could speak to them without SHIELD knowing the wiser."
"And how do you plan on speaking to them?" Steve inquired, clearly frustrated with this conversation.
"That's where SHIELD made a mistake." Bruce pointed his stick to the vent draw in the cell. "The vents are entire network that runs to every room and has multiple entrances from outside the building. SHIELD designed these vents with Clint in mind specifically, since he was known for sneaking around in the air ducts. Originally they had planned to make the vents no more than a centimetre wide each, but that proved rather inefficient and so the designed them in a way they were a part of the ceiling. No way to open the vents from inside the ducts or from outside, except for one vent on the ninth floor next to the generator."
Bruce spared a moment to look at the other occupants of the room. Natasha had a knowing look in her eye, because she knew where this was headed. Steve had a frown and Bruce wasn't honestly sure why. But then again Tony was biting on his lips, obviously anxious and Bruce didn't have the foggiest why either. He decided to ignore it and continue.
"The plan is to get one of us into the vents and via radio we will direct them to the level Clint and Bucky are being held in. From there the person will locate their cells and will try to gage how they are doing. Essentially all they are going to do us talk to them and hope that they are all right, because if they aren't everything is shot to hell."
"One little visit won't do either of the boys much good." Tony mused.
"That's why they are going to be nightly, it may be a bit risky, but if we get caught what's the worst that could happen?" Bruce replied.
Steve seemed to agree with Bruce, but his frown stayed in place. "This is all fine and dandy, but who is going to go through the vents? Clint was the only one of us who could do it without as much as a creak."
"I'll do it." Natasha spoke up and then she looked to each of the men seated around her, almost daring for them to say something.
And someone did. And that someone was Steve.
"Natasha no. If you get caught-"
So what?" Natasha cut him off. "I'll be put in a cell like Clint and that'll be it for all of us, but there is a chance I can save them if I go."
"Why don't I go, Bucky knows me and Clint will understand why I'm there. " Steve was grasping at straws.
"Nice try Captain, but I'm the only one small enough to fit through the vents with enough ease." Natasha's tone was a bit sharp, but when she saw the look of disappointment on Steve's face, she softened a bit. "I'll tell you what, you write a letter to Bucky and I'll read it to him. Then he can give me a response if he wants, it's the best I can do right now."
This seemed to nullify Steve a little and he nodded then stood up.
"I'm going to start writing, I assume you'll be leaving tonight?"
Natasha glanced at the clock, it was around 3 o'clock. So she nodded.
"That should give Tony and Bruce enough time to science up a plan and for me to take a cat nap."
With that she stalked off toward her flat.
__________________________
Natasha felt a twinge of reminiscent in her chest, here she was again, climbing through dusty vents for her Hawkeye. No matter how many things change, something always seem the same.
"Tasha?" Tony's voice crackled into her headset. "You are almost to the main shaft of the building, all you need to do is keep straight and you should come to a larger shaft running left and right. After you enter it you have to shut off your communicator completely, not just radio silence, you need to literally turn it off. We can't take any chances here, Fury is one shifty son of a bitch."
"Gotcha," Natasha said as she crawled forward a few more feet in the grainy darkness. "Okay I can see the main shaft, how do I get to the cells from here?"
"Two lefts, one down hill shuffle and a right to Bird brain's. From there it is a left and a straight shot to maniac metal arm-OW!Steve cut it out!"
There were a few mutters and another ow then Tony was back on the line.
"Fine, Bucky's ca....cell." Tony ground out.
"Okay, I'm turning off my radio, Bruce, don't let Steve kill Tony."
There was a short laugh on the other end. "I'll try Natasha." Bruce replied.
Natasha's heart was pounding. Two years, it had been two years since she had last spoke to Clint and there he was, sleeping fitfully only five feet below her.
He looked like he always had in her head, but somehow like an entirely different person as he laid there with his eyes scrunched shut and face mirroring the obvious nightmare he was going through.
His hair was longer, shaggier and the ends were bleached lighter by the sun.
His face had a few new age lines and his lips were a bit redder, yet he was still her partner.
Her eyes were beginning to water and she chided herself a little. This was a mission, there would be time to be emotional later. Right now she was going to talk to her partner and it would be a frosty day in hell if she broke down in this vent and got herself caught by SHIELD.
"Clint." She whispered, but he didn't even flinch. Clearly to get a reaction she was going to do something a little more drastic,something he hadn't heard in years.
"Hawkeye." She had barely whispered the first syllable when Clint's blue eyes snapped open.
Clint was having a nightmare and he knew it. Or he was having a nightmare until a voice shattered his illusions.
"Hawkeye."
The nightmare dissolved around him and Clint swore he woke up in a dream.
He knew that voice, heck, he knew that voice even when he didn't have his hearing aids in. Natasha.
"Natasha?" he whispered into the still brightly lit cell (SHIELD had a thing about leaving every dang light on at all hours.)
"Clint?" The voice was full of hope and definitely Natasha, Clint felt like he could fly.
"Nat, I'm sorry. I-"
He was cut off.
"Clint, don't you apologize, not now. We don't have the time for that and you don't need to say that to me. I understand. You understood what I did in Budapest and I understand now."
" Budapest was a month. This was two years, I shouldn't have left you alone."
"Budapest was more than a month and I don't care anymore, you are back now, so I'm no longer alone."
"Yah except for the fact I'm in a cell and you are visiting me through a vent. And I'm probably going to be coo coo for cocoa puffs within the month."
"Don't say that Clint. We'll find a way to get you out."
Clint suddenly looked overly guilty. "Oh god. I need you to help me get someone else out too, his name is Bucky and he isn't who you think-"
Natasha cut him off. "Don't worry, I'm heading there next." She glanced at her watch and swore. "I need to get going now Bruce and Tony only gave me about five minutes with each of you before I have to get out. I'm sorry, I'll stay longer next time."
If there is a next time. Natasha didn't say this out loud.
"I'll be counting down the days. Or the oatmeal packets."
Natasha snickered. "I love you Clint."
"Love you too Natasha. Say hi to Buck for me."
A/N) Okay so the next chapter is going to centre around seeing Bucky. I would've put it into this chapter, but I decided it would be better on its own. Sorry :(. Thank you all for your amazing comments, you all made my week with them. Hope you enjoy this chapter and will stick it out to the next one.
-Brokenrook