Reborn From The Void

Chapter 13 - Mission Gone Wrong

(Your POV):
"Hey, Nat, I completely forgot, I was going to bring this down to the communal kitchen, but got distracted and went down to the training room before delivering it. Do you mind if I just run this down there before getting the mission details?" I turned to Natasha after seeing the pie back in my room.

She gave a curt nod, although I was not completely sure if she believed the cover story that spilled from my lips. Before the emotions could get the better of me, I grabbed the pie and disappeared back into the elevator, where I was safe from anyone realizing how much pain I was in.

He wouldn't even speak to me. He was leaving for college tomorrow and he wouldn't even let me explain myself before running off to another state where he wouldn't have to see me for months on end. I knew I had to get over him. It wasn't doing me any good to wallow in my own self pity and, even if I had the chance to speak to him, there was no way I could win him over. But still, it hurt knowing that he wouldn't even give me a chance. Even after being together for almost a year and a half.

As the elevator approached my destination, I took a deep breath and tried to reestablish a control over my emotions so that, if I were to run into anyone, they could not see how much I was hurting. I placed the pie on the counter when I arrived and searched the kitchen for something to write on so that I could dictate that the pie was for everyone to share.

Then I returned to my floor, where Natasha was waiting for me. She was seated on one of the sofas so I sat down on another, waiting to hear what I was supposed to be doing tonight.

"The data from the bugs that we planted was inconclusive," she began to explain and I knew immediately that this had to do with H.A.M.M.E.R., making me worry that I would falter in my loyalties having to immediately confront the organization that I had used to serve.

Unaware of my internal conflict, she continued, "so we need to go to the source. I would imagine that Erksine still remains in control of H.A.M.M.E.R. financially, unless he allowed the entire organization to fizzle out after the death of your parents. Either way, he knows what has happened to H.A.M.M.E.R. However, we are not going to engage with Erksine, unless we have to. You, myself, Cap, and Clint will be going to his office to search for information that could lead us to the knowledge of where H.A.M.M.E.R. is today."

"Did you not bug his office?" I asked, amazed that they would miss the best place to start looking.

Natasha nodded, "yes, but he or his people found the bug long before we got any usable intel. He also has an incredibly well protected computer, even Tony hasn't been able to successfully hack it remotely. So we're going in to do it the old fashion way."

"And if we run into trouble?" I asked, knowing that if Erksine had all of this protection, then it was logical that he would have people physically guarding his office as well.

"We do what we need to do to get the intel. But Erksine lives, we can interrogate him if necessary."

"I've met him a few times, he will easily break under interrogation, that much I am sure of. So why not just bring him in? Why do we have to search his office first?"

"Because it will raise less suspicion than if the head of Nextin Pharmaceuticals suddenly disappeared. I know this may not be the way that you are used to doing things, but you have to trust us, ok?" Natasha looked for reassurance, so I gave her a nod, although it still seemed to me easier just to kidnap Erksine.

We had to wait until Erksine had left the office for the day before infiltrating Nextin Pharmaceuticals so I passed the time learning all of the functions of my suit. I was in my training room for the entire evening before I was called to the quinjet by F.R.I.D.A.Y., nerves already starting to create discomfort in the pit of my stomach.

We broke up into two teams: Natasha and Steve were going to break in via the ground floor whereas Clint and I went down from the roof. It was clear that mine and Clint's path was far more efficient and we made it to Erksine's office without any complications. Clint shot an arrow at the palm scanner that would unlock Erksine's office and suddenly the door eased open.

"What kind of arrow was that?" I questioned as the two of us entered his office, beginning to examine our surroundings.

"I don't know, it's some techy one from Tony," he shrugged before placing his bow back on his suit. "All I need to know is that it will bypass any security lock. I'll take the next room, you search in here, ok?"

"Roger that," I replied, giving him a playful salute and beginning to sift through papers in the filing cabinets Erksine had out in this part of his office. Of course I was stuck with the paper trail, surely Clint was getting a computer to search. But I was the newbie, so I guess I was destined for these monotonous tasks until I built up a bit more credibility.

It felt like hours, but in reality was more like a few minutes until I heard footsteps outside of the office. Finally, Nat and Steve were going to join us, I wouldn't have to search through all of this myself.

"What is this?" I heard a male's voice ask, muffled slightly by the door. Realizing that that wasn't Steve, I leapt up from my spot and pulled out my gun, ready to defend myself.

The door opened and I was met with the face of Jacob Erksine, who immediately raised his own gun to meet me. He clearly wasn't going to make small talk to me, like so many of my enemies liked to, his finger going immediately to the trigger. My reflexes that I had honed since being a young child took over and I quickly fired before he could shoot me.

"What the hell was that?" Clint's voice asked from the next room over, making me realize just what I had done. Nat had said if we ran into him, we had to take him in alive.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath, rushing to Erskine's side. I was praying that my bullet hadn't killed him, but I knew that it was just wishful thinking. My aim was never off, especially with a fixed target. Erskine was dead.

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(A/N): Whoops. You really had to go and screw up your first mission, huh? Sorry about that, but it creates drama so... I hope you enjoyed your first mission even though you did the one thing that you were told not to do!