Snapshot (фотография)

III

Phil Coulson was having a terrible day. First, the informant he was supposed to meet in the small motel in Brooklyn about Kingpin skipped out on him, and secondly, he received a call from his boss, who informed him that Tony Stark had just been poisoned.

So, Phil rushed over to the Avengers tower and joined Happy in a room where they surveyed camera footage. There was nothing interesting, and they were beginning to tire after two hours, until something happened.

"The cameras shut off in the entire building around nine o'clock last night."

"Could just be a glitch." Happy offered. "Happens all the time."

"It's the only lead we have." Phil insisted. "We have to follow it."

Sighing, Happy complied, the worried look on his face betraying his calm demeanor. Phil didn't particularly care for Tony, neither did he get along with him well, but he didn't want the billionaire to die. He was useful, in terms of information, technology and... sometimes as a drinking buddy. But that wasn't why Phil cared. Or at least, he tried to convince himself it wasn't the reason.

"Who's this?" He pointed to the redheaded boy that entered through the scanner. "Can you ID him?" Happy pulled up the card being swiped and F.R.I.D.A.Y's identification.

"He was recognised as a Mr. Paul Stone, age seventeen, level one intern, Director Coulson." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said cheerily.

"Was he seen exiting? Who does he work with?" Phil asked, watching Happy type furiously.

"I've never seen him before." Happy admitted, scanning the information on the digital badge. "There's no information on him aside from his clearance level and this address. Hey, F.R.I., did he leave?"

"It does not appear that Mr. Stone left the building." Phil poked Happy over to take over the computer and CCTV system to check where this "Paul" character had gone into.

"Who left the building around nine thirty last night, F.R.I?" Happy asked, watching Phil scan the footage.

"Various doctors, employees, interns, and Mr. Barton." Happy's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong with that?" Phil asked.

"Clint is visiting his family." They shared the same panicked look, and began looking through the footage. The imposter left the quarters as soon as the cameras turned back on, with no explanation as to how he had entered.

"Pardon me, Director Coulson, but I had an interaction with Clint that night." Friday chimed in. "He used a syringe to inject a clear liquid that he claimed was saline. He said it was a practical joke." Happy sighed, placing his head in his hands. Phil bit his cheek and continued to watch the picture.

"He's wearing a high tech mask. It allows you to take on a person's appearance." Phil commented. He paused it and pointed at the pouser's chin.

"See? There's a glimpse of a different skin tone." Happy nodded, and they watched as he boarded the elevator. Soon, Natasha entered a few floors later. Eerily enough, she carried on a conversation with him, and they watched, wide-eyed, as she allowed him out of the elevator with a smile.

"She didn't notice?" Happy cried. "What?!"

"This guy is good." Phil said, reaching for his hip flask and taking a swig. He glanced at his wrist watch. Three hours had passed. Frowning, Director Coulson looked back at the red haired boy named Paul. Gasping and clapping his hand to his forehead, Phil began to groan.

"I ran into him earlier at the motel!" He exclaimed, letting his head drop to the desk. He took another gulp of the whiskey in his flask, wincing at the bitter taste.

"I'm going to talk to Bruce about Tony." Happy said, pushing himself up and out of the chair and walking away with a wary look towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. director.

---

Bruce rushed over to the oxygen tank in the corner, placing the mask over the man's mouth. Looking around, he contemplated using activated charcoal to get the cyanide out if it had been ingested.

"Bruce!" Happy cried, running into the infirmary. "It was injected using a needle!"

Bruce paused, looking at the head of security with a mollified expression. Happy struggled to explain,

"Pardon?" He asked, looking down at the small brick of activated charcoal in his head. Happy panted, his hand on his knees and looked down at the floor.

"Fake Clint..." He gasped. "Used syringe... Said it was a prank...." With that Happy passed out, and Bruce looked around at the three unconscious men and sighed, wondering where his life had gone.

---

Bucky walked over to the fridge and opened it. Grinning, he grabbed a purple plum and took a giant bite. Meandering over to the couch, the veteran sat down and opened his book. He had only gotten through the first chapter when he was interrupted by Bruce.

"Vision!!!" Bruce cried, running into the apartment. Bucky's plum fell out of his mouth in surprise and he glowered at Bruce sourly for ruining his fruit. The red humanoid entered, wearing a look that would have appeared natural on anyone else, but it seemed as if Vision had practiced it into the mirror so many times that it had become a shadowy reflection, jerky and fake.

"Yes, Dr. Banner?" Vision asked in the same calm voice as F.R.I.D.A.Y. as Banner grabbed him in my shoulders. Bucky watched the animatronic panic set into Vision's face. Natasha strolled in at the moment as well, pausing and closing her butterfly knife slowly.

"What's going on?"

"It appears, Ms. Romanov, that Tony has been administered with a potentially lethal dose of cyanide." Vision said, his voice lilting. Nat dropped her knife in shock, picking it back up and looking around with a weirdly sheepish look, as if she was trying to gauge if someone had seen her. Bucky winked and she scowled at him.

"Have you given him the hydroxocobalamin?" Vision asked, still seeming calm. Banner shook his head and ran out quickly. Vision shook his head sadly.

"Poor Tony."

"How is that... hydroxo-thing going to help him?" Bucky spoke up. Vision turned to him in one fluid movement, the gold cape behind him barely moving.

"The hydroxocobalamin will detoxify cyanide by binding with it to produce nontoxic vitamin B-12. This medication neutralizes cyanide at a slow enough rate to allow an enzyme called rhodanese to further detoxify cyanide in the liver, Mr. Barnes."

"Ah." Bucky didn't dare comment further. Natasha turned to Vision.

"Have you seen Clint?" She asked. Vision gave her a stoic blink that was most likely meant to portray confusion.

"I am afraid not, Ms. Romanov. I was under the impression that Mr. Barton was visiting his family this week."

"But I saw him last night!" Natasha said, now looking contemplative. "He seemed a little bit off, but I assumed that was because he was recovering from his cold. You know, that's probably why he wanted to get shwarma!"

The last phrase was sarcastic, in only the tone that Natasha and Vision could master. However, the worry and shock in her eyes betrayed her worry. She was shaken by the fact that an imposter had been in her midst and she hadn't noticed. After all, it wasn't like Clint could teleport.

"Who was he anyway?" She asked before Phil Coulson burst into the door, his tie and suit askew.

"Natasha. We need your help." With a single cocked eyebrow from the famed spy, he hastened to continue. "Red alert."

Without a word, Natasha's face paled and she quickly followed Phil out of the room. Natasha's expertise was needed on a subject that she detested. For it seemed that the Red Room was active once more.