Echoes

Scarlett said nothing in response but watched Clint, searching for signs of life. He opened his blue eyes and squinted through the blood dripping down the side of his face. He stared up at her and as if realizing just what was going down, he mouthed to her not to do it. Whatever it was, he didn't want her to bargain for him.

Still a hero to the very end.

There was still strength left in Hawkeye, Scarlett had to move quick.

"If you don't come with me then I will kill everyone you care about… starting with him."

Scarlett's chest ached, her heart hurt as she realized what must have become of him after he'd tipped them off to the attack in Manhattan. He was thin, had huge bags under his eyes, lips chapped and body beaten. He was a mess. They'd likely deprived him of sleep, of food, tortured him for information. For him to become a bargaining chip, it was likely a last resort. They wouldn't keep him around after this, he was of no use, no consequence. Scott wasn't joking, wasn't working an elaborate scheme.

Either Scarlett traded herself for Clint or he died. She knew deep down that they'd never spare him regardless. He'd die no matter what, whether it was at the hands of an experiment or here on the dock as an example.

For a very small moment Scarlett seethed with rage! She knew he'd been in trouble! S.H.I.E.L.D. never should have allowed him to return to his cover after he'd leaked information on the fly! After they'd discovered Manhattan had been a setup they should have done everything in their power to pull him out of his cover.

Instead, S.H.I.E.L.D. allowed this to happen to him! Scarlett should have gone after him herself, god she was so damn selfish sometimes! It was a struggle but she did her best not to wear her emotions on her face.

"If you don't come with me right now, they will all die." Scott stepped a little closer and Clint stumbled along next to him. This was good. Scarlett saw he actually did have some strength. Desperation was a funny thing. The gears turned in her mind; Scarlett had a plan. "I had our lives mapped out before you ruined them, you know." Scott laughed and Scarlett could practically feel Mikhail roll his eyes. "I would make you love me… because you didn't. You never could, on your own at least. I would do it for us, for you… to save you. Then… you found out and you killed me!"

"Well, I did such a good job of that obviously." Scarlett still wondered why the hell he wasn't dead. MedCo had to have brought him back from the brink of death but was that even possible?

"Now is not the time for jokes."

"This seems like a stupid time to discuss this but… you tried to literally turn me into something I wasn't. Not like… just pressure and passive aggressive bullshit. You actually tried to poison me, you stole my ideas, and tried to manipulate me at every turn. That's not love, buddy. You basically sold my soul in exchange for turning me into someone I never would be. Did you think I ever actually would have cooperated? Does that sound like me?"

"I would have made you cooperate! You don't know what's best for you! We would have been happy!"

"You mean you would have been happy."

"And in return you turned me into this monster?"

"You injected me with poison first, if I recall! I didn't do this to you, you did!"

"Does it keep you up at night knowing how many other times I poisoned you?" Scott laughed and Scarlett jammed the barrel of her gun so hard against Mikhail's neck that he cursed in Russian.

"You're crazy."

"Unless you come with me now I will kill everyone you have ever cared about or even thought about caring about. Everyone, Scarlett. Even after you have died I will hunt them down and kill them."

"Don't listen to him, Scarlett. He's trying to get into your head. Don't let him!" Clint spoke at last, his voice surprisingly clear. Scott bashed him on the side of his head with his gun.

"Quiet!"

"Don't make any deals with him. He's a monster and you know what monsters do." Clint hissed and shoved back at Scott who hit him hard in the head over and over until Clint hunched forward at last.

Scarlett had no intentions of giving in but she had to do something.

"Let him go." Scarlett spoke before Scott could hit Clint again or continue to taunt her. Both Mikhail and Scott laughed.

"As always, just because you want it to be doesn't make it so."

"Oh, eat me." Scarlett rolled her eyes and smacked Mikhail on the side of the head for good measure before pressing the barrel of her gun against the back of his neck again. "I have one of yours and you have one of mine. We'll do an exchange. You can have this asshole and I'll take that one." Scarlett nodded to Clint who, through it all, gave her an exhausted smile.

He had to be all right.

"That's not what I want. Not even close. He's going to turn on me eventually, Scarlett. We both know that. I need him for now but we both have bigger things in mind. It's a relationship of convenience."

"Well, if you need him then we exchange for him. I don't really care about your grand scheme." Scarlett was buying for time, just as Mikhail had done earlier. She could feel her phone buzzing and knew that Mickey had to be up to something. Or at least she hoped the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent was coming up with something to get her and Clint out of this mess. Mickey was watching over the satellite feed and while she couldn't see Scarlett beneath the overhang she sure as hell could see Scott standing in the open holding on of their field agents prisoner.

Scarlett had toyed with the idea of waiting for backup but knew that it would only further the chaos and Clint would be lost in the crossfire. Scarlett knew that if Mickey was planning something it was far more creative than that. That would mean Scarlett would have to get creative too. First things first, she had to take away Scott's leverage.

Clint was more important to her than Mikhail was to Scott, both parties knew that. Scott wasn't going to just let her leave, there was no chance of it. He would only do an exchange if it was for her, she knew that deep down but she also had no plans of actually going anywhere with him. Scarlett knew that if she gave herself up to MedCo the chaos would never actually end as promised. They were long past that point.

Carefully she shifted on her feet. In her right boot she'd packed a hunting knife. If she could get close enough for Clint to be able to grab that knife she might be able to get him away from Scott. Slowly she urged Mikhail closer to Scott who didn't budge but watched her carefully, gun ever aimed at Clint.

"Then we both drop our shields. You and I can settle this the way that things always should have been settled."

"The only way we're settling this, Scarlett, is if you come with me." Scott chuckled in amusement. "We are not fighting to the death! You belong with me. You never should have gotten this far in the first place."

Scarlett stepped closer.

"No matter how this ends, Scarlett. We will hunt you down and kill your friends. Worse than that we will manipulate them, twist them until they are broken beyond recognition and then they will die." Mikhail whispered in desperation, sensing Scarlett was up to something. She could feel panic radiating through the Russian and it felt damn good. Scott was only a foot or so away from her now.

"Hostages don't get to talk. Shut up."

"Their blood will be on your hands, Scarlett. Are you willing to let them die for you?"

Scarlett ignored Mikhail who continued to curse in Russian. Those words she recognized immediately. Scarlett looked Scott over from head to toe, buying for as much time as she could, then she shook her head in disappointment.

"There's nothing left of you."

"I'm better than I ever was." Scott spat, scowling.

"That's not what I meant."

"You are in no position to taunt me."

"There's nothing left of the man who asked me out all those years ago. Nothing left of the man I turned down until you finally wore away my defenses." Scarlett softened and for a brief second she saw Scott do the same. Then he grit his teeth and practically snarled at her, stepping closer.

"You didn't like him either so what does it matter if he's gone?"

"I did like him though. I admired him. He was so innocent in his own way but… I'll be damned if he didn't work for everything he had. No one ever handed him anything. That was why I finally agreed to date him, to date the man you were. I saw that in you and I liked it." Scarlett whispered. Part of him had remembered that even if only for a second, something deep inside of him was still that man. Scarlett knew she couldn't talk her way out of this but she needed Scott to let his guard down for just long enough so that Clint could grab her knife and she could get him to safety. A few seconds was all she would need.

"Is that you cheated on that man you so admired, then? Over and over, Scarlett, with that man you met on your so-called jobs? What was his name again?" Scott sneered.

"I'm not going to tell you that."

"You wouldn't, would you? Wouldn't want him to go the way of your parents." Scott growled.

"I'm going to slit your throat and watch you bleed to death." Scarlett smiled, done trying to recall the man she'd once been best friends with. Again she shifted her boot to the side, hopefully close enough for Clint to gather what she was hinting at. For a moment she saw his gaze shift toward her but then he instantly looked away. That was it. Scarlett knew Clint had figured out what she was up to.

"You'll have to let go of the gun to do that, Scarlett."

Scarlett smiled but said nothing.

Suddenly Clint sprang into action! He grabbed the knife from Scarlett's boot just as she'd hoped. Scarlett shoved Mikhail hard at Scott, knocking them right into each other! Then she shot straight through Mikhail's chest and the bullet tore through his flesh, right through Scott's side. Scott caught Mikhail, there was shouting in the distance. Clint cut himself free of his bonds and stabbed so hard into Scott's leg that it actually gave out beneath him. Clint stood but fell forward, his legs weak and his body weary.

Scarlett lurched forward, gun still aimed at Mikhail and Scott and grabbed Clint to keep him from falling, dragging him forward. Then she urged his arm around her shoulders and helped him to his feet. Reaching inside her jacket, she handed Clint a loaded gun and he at once fired at Mikhail and Scott who were attempting to get up.

Reaching into her pocket as they hobbled across the dock, Scarlett reached for her phone. There were frantic messages from Mickey, telling Scarlett to get Clint out of there quickly, that they were planning an escape for them but it was going to be explosive, quite literally.

"Change of plans. Think you can swim?"

"Yeah, like a fish." Clint wasn't convincing but Scarlett had no choice but to trust him. They'd never worked together before but if Natasha held him to his word than that was good enough for her. There was no time to second guess! A great whistle rang through the air and there was an explosion on the far side of the building. It nearly knocked them both off of their feet! Then another whistle and another burst of flame!

"Go! Go!" Scarlett shouted, dragging Clint with her as fast as she could. The next explosion was so close, Scarlett could feel the heat of it and so she and Clint leapt off of the dock and into the water. The force of the explosion was too intense and they were separated into the air and knocked much further into the water than they had leapt!

Scarlett saw only darkness as she crashed head over heels into the cold water. It shocked her flesh, stung at her wound but she couldn't see anything. Even as she opened her eyes beneath the water she could only see swirling darkness in front of her. She tried to listen for more explosions, for anything, but all she heard was that familiar ringing. Unconsciousness threatened the back of her lids, her lungs ached and it was so tempting to give in.

Then she heard another crash, another loud explosion and the water forced her sharply in one direction and she shook awake. Kicking, thrashing in the water she turned until she saw the very faintest light of day overhead. Gasping for breath, Scarlett rose above the water and fought against the waves now crashing all over the place!

"Clint!" Scarlett shouted. She'd lost him in the explosion and there was no sight of him. She swam through dangerous waters, shaken by continues blasts along the shore, risking the opportunity to search for him. Her head was spinning, aching, she must have hit the water damn hard. "God damnit, Clint! Clint!" Scarlett dove beneath the water and searched the inky seas for him. The water was too cold, it stung at her face, her lungs. She could barely hold her breath long enough to swim and the feeling of suffocation worsened with every second.

Then she saw him, floating with his head above water, barely conscious. Blood surrounded him in the water and his eyes were glassy.

"Shit! Shit, Clint…" Scarlett lapped over to him and grabbed him around the waist. He laughed and coughed, blood dripping from his lips. "Not the time, Clint."

"Thought you drowned. Was coming to grips with being eaten by sharks." He smiled with relief then made pathetic attempts to help them to shore. "How long do we have to swim?"

"Quarter mile at least. Getaway car waiting, hopefully. I walked here."

"Nat said you were smart."

"Oh yeah?"

"So that's your boyfriend, yeah? Stand up guy."

"Not after you stabbed him like that."

Clint chuckled but didn't say anything more. He kept closing his eyes and then fluttering them open, barely able to hold onto consciousness. Scarlett swam them to shore as quickly as her tired limbs would allow her. She moved far faster than she should have but it was worth the risk. She wasn't sure if she could dive and grab Clint again if she lost her grip.

Once on shore, Scarlett dragged him through the sand and mud, lying Clint down on his back. He kept shaking his head to stay conscious.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett already knew the answer. Clint shook his head from side to side. Now that she had the chance Scarlett could see just how horribly beaten he was. Clint reached for the bottom of his shirt and started to tug but his fingers would properly for a fist. Scarlett did it for him and sharply inhaled. His side had been gouged, there was blood everywhere, she could see his fucking organs!

Covering her mouth, Scarlett resisted the urge to gag. Pulling off her jacket, Scarlett shoved her phone into her pants pocket and then wrapped the jacket tightly around his side which was met with an annoyed grunt. She wasn't sure how much good it would do after all was said and done but it was better than nothing.

"You?" Clint nodded toward her and she shook her head.

"I'm fine! Fine!" Scarlett nodded but Clint reached and touched her forehead then showed her his bloodied fingertips. Shaking her, Scarlett could taste the blood in her throat too. Her knees were scraped right through her jeans and she was sore all over but these were things she could deal with later. "It's really fine."

"Head wounds trump side wounds." Clint smiled and Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Whose intestines can we see here? My organs are all where they belong."

"Fine, fine…" Clint grimaced then nodded his head before placing his hand back over her side. Panic settled in her chest. Scarlett had to get Clint to the hospital and now. There was no time left to sit around.

"Think there's any chance you can walk?"

"Just try to keep up."

"The sass is cute but can you actually walk?"

"I'll make it."

Scarlett chose to trust Clint once again. She probably shouldn't have but what choice was there? It was all she really could do. She'd flirted with the idea of getting her car and coming as close as she could but it seemed to make more sense to cut down on that time in between just in case. Scarlett wasn't even sure who had survived the blast at the dock and who hadn't but she certainly wasn't going to wait around on shore to find out.

Through the trees that lined the beach, Scarlett dragged Clint as much as she could, allowing him to put the brunt of his weight on her but her body was giving into exhaustion too. With each push, each step forward she felt her lungs ache. Every so often she had to lean against a tree and cough and then force herself to breathe. Her vision blackened and she nearly fell over half a dozen times but she trudged blindly forward until they finally reached her car. Inside, Scarlett shoved Clint into the passenger's seat and climbed into the driver's seat. He watched her, worriedly, and nudged her arm with his hand then nodded toward the steering wheel.

Scarlett ignored him. He was asking if she was okay to drive. It didn't actually matter if she was or not, they didn't have any other choices. Sure, she could call in to S.H.I.E.L.D. if her phone still worked and have them come and get her but it wasn't worth the risk or the wait. Clint needed medical assistance days ago and she wasn't going to be the reason they got him help too late. Scarlett would force herself to stay conscious and drive to the hospital as quickly as she could.

If she passed out while they were driving they would likely both die in the resulting crash but that was a risk she was willing to take. Scarlett hoped that if she started to drift she'd be able to pull over.

Shoving the car into gear, Scarlett turned onto the road and sped away. If she was pulled over they'd get an escort to the hospital, Scarlett knew it. Thankfully the drive forced Scarlett's exhausted brain to focus and allowed her to breathe.

The drive was agonizingly slow, at least for Scarlett. It was a blink for Clint.

When they arrived, something was waiting for them.

Pulling her car in front of the Emergency Room entrance, they were instantly surrounded by people with cameras, taking pictures, holding microphones and recorders, yelling at her for something she couldn't quite make out right now. Scarlett blasted the horn so relentlessly it forced them out of the way. When she climbed out of the driver's side she was overwhelmed by the sound of voices, by questions.

"Miss Damien? What on earth happened?"

"Are you all right?"

"Is that blood?"

"Did something happened to you, Miss Damien?"

"Is that a gun?" Others murmured.

"Yes!" Scarlett cursed under her breath. There was an audible gasp in the crowd and the questions became more rapid, more sinister. They were making her dizzy. Scarlett shoved a reporter out of the way and thankfully, doctors and nurses rushed from the emergency room doors and urged the press away. Scarlett opened the passenger side door and helped Clint walk, his arm over her shoulder again. There were shouts of distress from the crowd people yelling and asking questions. Finally, reporters moved out of the way as Scarlett started toward the open doors.

A hush fell over the crowd as a nurse brought a wheelchair over and Scarlett helped Clint sit down then insisted upon wheeling him inside. Someone tried to ask her if she needed help herself but she ignored them and pushed away from the crowd. The press followed but was stopped at the door by nurses and security guards but Scarlett could hear their questions renewed.

Someone had told the media she was coming and Scarlett could guess who.