You Called, I Answered (Salvatore Shield)

1.13 | Hammer pt.2

Hope simply walks past Agent Romanoff and toward the mound of rock.

Clint still has his bow drawn, ready to shoot an arrow.

He addresses Coulson, "Your call, sir."

Coulson contemplates it, watching as the bulky muscular man also fights off another agent.

"You better call it, Coulson. He's taken out 4 of our guys, and this girl just walked straight through 3 special operations agents, including Nat. I'm starting to root for them."

Natasha comments, "I'm not down yet—" She starts to get her feet back under her.

"Wait, I want to see this..."
Coulson watches as Hope approaches the 0-8-4 embedded in the rock.

She can clearly see a handle poking out.

She takes a breath before tentatively reaching a hand forward, towards the handle...

And very subtle shifts in the rock catch her attention, before her hand ever touches the handle.

But Hope's motions pause when the large, muscular man enters the area, all muddy from fighting in the rain and dirt.

He looks relieved as soon as he sees it.

And Hope knows just by looking at him, this is Thor.

She steps away from the mound of rock, though it's rather unnecessary since Thor can't even see her.

Thor let's out a relieved chuckle as he eagerly approaches the rock.

He wraps his fist around the handle, and everyone holds their breath in anticipation of what's to come.

But when Thor tugs on the handle, nothing happens, a huge letdown to the man. In denial and now anger, he tugs again, this time with more force.

But still, nothing happens.

In a fit of rage and hopelessness, Thor falls to his knees, yelling out in agony.

And Coulson orders his agents, "Take him in."

Clint asks over his comm link, "What about the girl, sir?"

Coulson hesitates to make the call. He knows the girl is a threat, but his gut tells him to let her go.

In the meantime, though, another agent, Rumlow, climbs up to the platform that Clint stands on, "Shoot, Barton!"

"It's Coulson's call." Clint keeps his bow drawn, but doesn't release his hold to shoot.

"Coulson didn't just get his ass kicked by thin air, Barton. Do your job and take out the threat."

"My job, and your job, is to assess the threat, and remove it if absolutely necessary."

"Damnit Barton—" Rumlow frustratedly reaches for the bow, knocking Clint's hold on the drawn bow string loose, and the arrow is shot directly towards the target.

Clint's heart feels like it drops from his chest, and his breath is stuck in his lungs, as he watches the arrow seemingly fly in slow motion, surely split seconds from piercing the chest of the invisible threat.