Back in metropolis
Steve Rodgers and Clint had been trailing the lady for close to twenty minutes. Both of cautious of the encounter as she had all the signs of being a spy / assassin and was trailing them when they had first assumed she was on her lunch break.
"What do you think?" Steve asked into his earpiece while he blended into the crowd keeping a close eye on the lady making her 10th turn in a junction.
The renovations following up doomsdays battle was still ongoing in various buildings thus the streets were crowded making it possible for anyone to be a threat and go unnoticed so they had to keep their guard up.
"She clocked us fourteen minutes ago." Clint answered into his earpiece looking down at the direction the lady was heading. He was currently on top of a building having decided to take the high ground while Steve preferred tailing her from the ground.
"I know. She's leading us somewhere. What do you think? Call for back up?" Steve asked.
This was a fairly new world to them and the underworld consisted of various villains unknown to the avengers. After the introductions and settling down in the watchtower, he took his time going over the information provided by batman in detail explaining this worlds governments, each criminal organization, their members, the justice league members and everything else important enough for them to know.
So it was in their best interest to think of calling it in since the one orchestrating this was obviously confident he or she could take them on in order to lead them to a trap they knew was laid out for them.
"Yeah, I'll call it in." Clint said sending a quick text and activating his locator.
Their target was very simple in the way she interracted with almost everyone on the street while buying and eating snacks sold by vendors. Unless one was extensively trained and experienced, one could never tell that the lady giggling and walking carefree could be an assassin, a lethal one at that. She reminded Clint of the Black widow program, a group of innocent girls trained to be efficient assassins. I wonder what Natasha is upto he thought. He hadn't interracted with her for close to 12 hours now.
"Heads up." Steve's voice brought him out of his thoughts to see her entering what looked to be a tall building with mostly tinted windows. They too were already on the move.
"It's done" the lady spoke into her concealed earpiece before running up the stairs.
Sitting at the reception was an old woman who welcomed Steve into the building with a bright smile on her face
"Welcome dear. Your appointment is in the 18th floor" then went back to typing somethings on her desktop computer.
"Uh…thank you..?" Steve answered with a cautious expression. Someone was expecting them and they probably knew that Clint had infiltrated the building through the roof.
As if reading his thoughts the receptionist added, "I hope you've been eating healthy young man, the elevator is out of order." That made him to be on high alert, his instincts telling him of the impending danger.
"Do you work here?" He asked her.
"Only for the last 45years son, now move along, I have things to do before happy hour" she turned her screen to Steve showing him the process of her organizing a tea party.
Maybe she isn't in on it he thought finding it difficult for anyone to use such a sweet old lady for their diabolical schemes. Looking back at her their eyes met and he felt inclined to tell her his name.
"Bucky" he gestured to himself watching the lady smile.
"For a minute there I thought your generation was beyond saving on manners and etiquette." She chided politely the continued "My colleagues call me Granny" before Steve started walking up the stairs.
The building had no sort of security feature, be it guards or security cameras. Thinking of it he had not seen any sign of life except for the old woman but he could clearly hear footsteps on the upper floors.
"I have a bad feeling about this." He tapped into his earpiece while climbing the stairs. The elevators were out of order.
"Top floor clear." Clint reported then added "Be careful"
"I have been expecting you." Clint aimed his bow and arrow at the direction of the voice to see a hooded figure standing next to what seems to be a large window looking down at the commotion of people living their everyday life with his back to him.
"Please excuse my associate for her lack of discretion in setting up this meeting." The lady appears behind Clint just a few feet away with a smile on her face.
"You've gotten our attention. Talk" Clints composed voice ordered while calculating escape roots and angles of attack incase things take a turn and Steve hadn't arrived yet. Maybe he could warn him to keep clear.
"I knew you would be a reasonable man to negotiate with. Straight to the point. I like it!" The figure declared with his back still facing him. Clint did not let up on his aim which would embed an arrow in the figures head should he try anything.
"I want you to join me." He finally declared turning around facing Clint.
In his many years of heroism and being an assassin, Clint had seen and experienced almost everything the profession had to offer from interacting with gods, being kidnapped, fighting aliens and now having to travel to another universe. He always figured nothing could surprise him anymore but that was an understatement. Apart from the suit the hooded figure wore, Clint could not make out his face even though they were now facing each other. The mans face was completely black in contrast to his neck and hands which were white. On his face It was only the pupils of his eyes that were white in color and looked like two dots floating about. Upon closer inspection when the man moved forward, he was a little bit muscular and his black suit clung to his body perfectly. Probably hand tailored.
"What's in it for me?" All this while his weapon was aimed straight at the guys head. If indeed he is a human.
"Answers…power…your life.. Specificity I will leave it up to you." The guy answered obviously studying Clint.
"From what I can tell you're an excellent marks man and human. I could use someone of your talents working for me as my second in command." Being a crime boss for over a century has earned him experience and skills especially when it came to negotiating whether be it legal or illegal deals. Everymans loyalty has a price, an experience he believed when he convinced blood brothers to turn on each other with the right price of course. This archer infront of him will be no different. He just had to reel him in before his partner finds them.
Clint thought for a second contemplating his options. The first being taking this guy in for questioning even though he knew there was no way he had answers. That would have to be decided after his interrogation. The second option was agreeing with his deal and going undercover to retrieve more of the said answers he was talking about which with this being a new world to him was not the best idea.
"I have a counter proposal" Clint offered. This got the lady's attention too.
"Come in with me and we'll discuss those answers in detail. That goes for your friend too. These past couple of days have been pretty crappy but I know those answers will be the highlight of my week"
"I'm sorry to hear that." The guy gave a signal.
Clint fired a shot at his chest intended to incapacitate by electrocution, the same design as black widows stingers and ducked aside as the lady was inches away from knocking his head off with a kick. The arrow was snatched out of the air by the guy who proceeded to examine it in his hands impressed by its design.
I will have to incorporate the same design as this for my people he thought. The arrow vibrated for some seconds before he was brought down t his knees by the electric current emitted by the arrow. It was mildly excruciating as he was farmiliar with pain having trained to endure such.
Clint was fighting the lady intending to incapacitate her before the guy recovered. She was surprisingly well trained in martial arts but he was better. Watching the guy get up, he attached something on the lady's back before she was brought down by an electric current much like her boss. He had no time for her right now.
"Stand down" the lady was instructed as she was already getting up slightly fidgeting when minute shocks still assaulted her body.
"I have the answers you seek and if you indeed want to go back to your earth and probably to your family you will atleast take time to consider my deal." He reveled in the reaction he expected. The archer was more alert when family was mentioned making his guesswork about a man his age probably has family pout there somewhere correct.
Now just to reel him in.
"How do I know you aren't just lying to get what you need?" Clint asked still processing with his mind partially thinking of his family.
"I'm not. But I will need information from you too about a bankrobbery that happened."
"What if I can't find any information about it?" This was too much of a coincidence for Clint to believe. I bet he wants the watchtowers version of the report he thought.
"The league has it or better yet the batman has it. Just retrieve the file and you will get the answers you and your friends seek." He was sure this archer was stealthy enough to accomplish that mundane task.
"When you have it, go tour the museum and I will contact you from there" he added knowing his time was over. The archers partner was already on the 17th floor moving faster than he anticipated he would do.
Clint knew cap was almost to his position but it seems the black face dude knew that too that's why he wasn't surprised when two percussion grenades were thrown into the room probably to stall time for their escape.
No sooner had Steve turned the corner than they exploded numbing their senses while the two figures jumped out the window onto some kind of hovercraft before speeding off.
Clint sent a text calling off their back up after regaining their senses.
"Who was that?" Steve looked to Clint who was standing up.
"No idea, but we have to get out of here. I'm sure a hovercraft sighting is something the police will investigate." Clint gave a short hand answer though it was actually reasonable.
"Okay." They both went to the roof and jumped to the next building. Cap knew Clint would brief him later most likely in the watchtower.