nested | ( open post. )

[it was supposed to be a simple information extraction; a HYDRA lab that was, to anyone who checked, abandoned by the men and women stationed there. After Sokovia, they'd abandoned posts at an alarming rate, leaving behind valuable intelligence. All the Avengers team had to do was walk in and take it.

Steve and the others had gone to apprehend a terrorist that had threatened bombings in multiple cities. Natasha had figured the reconnaissance mission wouldn't be too hard, had asked Clint to go with her, just as a spotter. Then she was going to stay at the farm for a few days with him, Laura, and the kids.]

First floor clear. Heading to the basement now.

[She had her gun ready as she descended the stairs, in case the abandoned building wasn't as abandoned as reported, but she encountered no one. It was more than a little creepy, but not ant worse than she'd seen before.]

And to think you were worried we wouldn't be home in time for dinner.

[As she finishes teasing, her boot scuffed lightly against the floor at the bottom of the stairs--the lights snap on, evidently on a motion sensor. Natasha freezes, putting her back to the wall in the stairwell, but no further surprises present themselves, so she cautiously walks to the table in the center of the room.]

They were building a laser gun? How cliche.

[She ignores the thing, going to thr computer at the edge of the cleared workspace, turning it on.

Activate System...?]

I swear if this is another European scientist who's backed his brain up into a computer, I'm going to smash everything in here, intelligence or no.

[She types in 'yes'.

There's no warning before the array on the table activates and shoots her in the back with a very audible crack of energy, and over the comms the doors can be heard slamming closed and locking.]

Edited 2016-05-11 04:59 (UTC)

Nat? [ Clint is watching the perimeter, tidying up, punching a couple of people in the face, y'know normal stuff. he had to cancel a whitewater rafting trip with his kids to come deal with these clowns, so he's taking out his frustration a little on them.

But then Natasha goes in and comms go out with the crackle of a laser or something and that's always bad in the Bond films and shit and it's pretty bad for them in real life too. The doors slamming shut cinches it though, and he breaks for the basement level in a sprint. ]

Tasha! Hey. Really need you to say something to me.

[ He gets to the thick metal doors, and halts. ] Dammit.

[ A second later he's over at a control panel, pulling out a tool from his belt to get the panel off and take a look at the wiring he's dealing with. He's no Tony Stark, but this isn't the first time he's hacked a locked door. ]

Just a quick mission, no biggie. You can make it up to the kids later. It's just a little Hydra base, nah, it's easy. No ray guns or locking doors. We don't need the rest of the guys, it'll be just us like old times. You, me, and a quinjet.

Thanks for saving my ass, Clint. Boy, I sure owe you one.

[She'd considered not even asking him to come, surely this was something she could handle herself, and she'd worked alone in the past. But Steve had insisted, and Clint was the only person she could think of. That she trusted, and who knew how to keep things quiet.

She has a moment to be extremely glad that she did, before the impact shoves her into the table and all her nerves begin to feel like they're on fire, muscles doused in acid--it's not pleasant. Not in the least.

The scream is an involuntary response, her voice cracks in the middle, and she hits the ground, blacking out as her bones and muscles shift.

She's smaller. Softer. She's young, and still unconscious, when Clint gets the door open.]

[ Clint hears the scream through the door, and it takes longer than he wants to get through to her. He gets it, finally, and pushes through the door before it even widens enough for him. ]

Tasha! Ta---[ He stops in his tracks. Looks around them, back towards the open door, and then back towards the very small child unconscious on the floor. She's a lot smaller than he remembers when SHIELD first sent him after her, but he recognizes the short curls of red framing the much smaller face. Here, now, she has an almost innocence that he's not sure he's ever seen on her before now. ] Shit.

[ He takes cautious steps towards her, crouching down next to her after setting his bow on the floor, and reaches out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. ]

Hey, rise and shine.

[That's one way to put it.

Even in a daze, she's coming around--Natasha has never been one to stay down for long, it's a good way to get yourself killed. Even when you're young, if you grew up in the Red Room.

She grabs his wrist in both small hands, eyes snapping open--there's no recognition in her eyes, just suspicion and fear, and when she speaks it's with the slightest hint of an accent that, at that age, she hadn't quite trained herself out of.

She doesn't know this man. She doesn't know why there would be an American in the Red Room, there's almost never any men to begin with unless they're training, learning how to disarm and disable opponents far larger and stronger than they are.

Usually she's good at it, but she feels too weak to do it now. Everything hurts and she doesn't know why.]

Who are you?

[ Her grip isn't the same as it was not less than a half hour ago. It's still pretty tough for a small fry, but it isn't like Clint couldn't get away if he had to. He doesn't want it to come to that though, so he raises his other, free hand, in a gesture of surrender. ]

My name's Clint. What's yours?

[ He's good at thinking on his feet. Good at sussing out a situation before it goes to hell and then even after sometimes. Now is one of those after times. He doesn't even hesitate. ]

I heard something, you looked like you might be hurt. I was just checking, that's all.

( open post. )

Tiniest spy. HYDRA HAS A DEAGING RAY.

hawkdad to the rescue

yaaaay hawkdad! sorry to give you a conniption fit.

more like a heart attack he's too old for this shit he should have stretched.

this is what happens when you eat so much junk food

his snacking habits have nothing to do with stretching.