InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "ask me how I am..."

Clint Barton (antivillain_) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-07-23 20:40:00

Entry tags:

-character reset, -complete, -narrative, -open thread, bobbi morse, clint barton, stephen strange, wanda maximoff

Till human voices wake us and we drown
Who: Clint Barton, probably Dr Strange, anyone who'd answer a S.H.I.E.L.D. transponder, and OPEN (multithreads welcome)
What: Re-Intro!
When: NOW Y'ALL
Rating/Warning: Green I think? Possibly language, definite half-remembered angst

He sang, "Yodelay-hee, I ain't no untarnished Galahad,
Down from Arcadia like a dream in your head
But gentle lady, lend me the true heart I never had
And I'll stain the lavenders red
With all of this good blood I shed,"
Lancelot said.
~L~A~U~R~A~

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
~L~I~L~A~

~~~
His fingers closed on dirt and ashes. His throat felt raw, which was what made him realize he was screaming.

What… why… what was…

His fingers were scraping themselves red on concrete. No. Wait. A second ago… he tries to dig in and just presses out blood through his fingertips.

Had he been here all along? What happened to… he was just… there was something…

He looked up.

He was dressed in full gear. He wasn't in a field, of… what… crops? There was no rural house…

He was in New York. Back in New York.

Ashes and dirt

Slowly, so slowly, he stood, looking around.

There were no Chitauri in the sky. There was no damage to the surroundings.

Have I been here all along?

If he was in New York… dressed like…

An Avenger? But how far back does this go?

Was he still under Loki's control? …No, because that was a thought that would never have occurred to him while it was happening. He hadn't felt controlled. He'd felt like everything he did was entirely his own idea.

Which was so much worse. Which he hadn't been able to explain… to…

…there was something… I just had it… something's missing…

But if he was awake now, perhaps he'd just woken up. And how much had been illusion?

He opened his palms and looked down at his hands. He'd just scraped them raw, fingertips oozing blood. Great. He'd just severely handicapped his own ability to fight. Was that the point? Was he about to be attacked? Or was it just some kind of vengeance, a last gasp of malice, before for whatever reason he'd been let go?

I won't let go I will not let go

Something is missing

Something was missing…

Barton blinked. He tried pinching his own torn hands. He muttered aloud to hear what his voice sounded like: "Wake up."

Then he searched himself until he found his transponder and flipped it to what should be a S.H.I.E.L.D. frequency. "This is Hawkeye, does anyone read me?"

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doctor__strange
2018-07-24 01:54 am UTC (link)

The universe was still not working as intended, and another person made their way to them. Stephen Strange stepped through the portal he made, cape billowing behind him. It was in full view of Clint Barton, who was putting a call out to someone.

He sensed there was something not right here. Something was broken and bloody and raw.

Stephen cleared his throat to get Barton's attention, holding up both hands to show that he didn't mean any harm.

"Hi, Doctor Stephen Strange. Master of the Mystic Arts," he quickly introduced himself, while eyeing the archer's hands. Doctor Obvious immediately added the obvious, "And you need medical attention."

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antivillain_
2018-07-24 02:02 am UTC (link)

Gods and magic and nothing we were trained for

Clint had the bow in his hand and an arrow nocked before thinking about it. He neither dropped them when the pain caught up to them, nor raised them to point at Strange. He held them pointing downward, aimed at the ground. A drop of blood ran from his cut fingers down the arrow shaft.

"Hi," Clint repeated, warily incredulous. "I'll be fine for the moment, thanks. Is this something that just happens, now? The sky rains down aliens so now magic gets done openly in the street?"

So far, all the magic Clint had experienced was Loki's. So he already believed in it. But he was not a fan.

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doctor__strange
2018-07-24 02:19 am UTC (link)

"That...was...a while," Strange said and didn't really make it to the word 'ago' as he lowered his hands down to his sides. It was best not to make any sudden motions, even if the weapon wasn't pointed at him.

The portal was still open behind him, a slowly spinning shower of sparks which wreathed around the image of a creepy old home. He felt a little lucky that he resembled less of the Asgardian trickster sorcerer, and more of a Tibetan Party Magician. "I'm just leaving that open. In case of...Hellraiser style target practice? Hopefully that's not on the agenda."

After an awkward pause, Stephen arched an eyebrow while staring at the blood dripping off the arrow.

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	antivillain_ 2018-07-24 02:23 am UTC (link)
	Riding the awkward pause, Clint arched an eyebrow right back. "What was it you wanted, Master of the Whatsis? 'Cause I'm kinda in the middle of some kind of nervous breakdown and if you're responsible for any of it… you might as well tell me 'cause I'm sure assuming it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-07-24 02:29 am UTC (link)

"...mystic arts," Strange grumbled under his breath, shaking his head. The cape was raising one ragged lower corner upward as though trying to interject, causing him to gently guide it down with the back of one hand, very slowly and cautiously. As slowly and cautiously as he was trying to explain. "Uh. It's complicated. And involves breaking time and splintering universes into two, which another me did. From the place you've come from. To here. And I'm on clean up duty, while trying to explain this to someone having a nervous breakdown. And it's making it worse than it normally is. Which is just...great."

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	antivillain_ 2018-07-24 02:37 am UTC (link)
	No matter how slowly, the cape's movement had caught Clint's eye. His gaze flickered fast from Strange to the cape and back. Also slowly, though, was the bow and arrow starting to raise in Strange's direction. "So you did do something," he said quietly. Then in a sudden and very different voice: "Where are they?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

doctor__strange
2018-07-24 03:11 am UTC (link)

"Vicariously, another me in another universe did," Stephen admitted without hesitation. He soon found himself squinting at the second voice. Oh boy. This was a complicated case already. He only hoped that Wanda might hear it if she was nearby the portal, because she had the telepathic skill to find out what was going on in Clint Barton's head.

Playing along, he calmly asked, "Who?"

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antivillain_
2018-07-24 09:17 am UTC (link)

"My…"

…

…what?

Something missing

Don't let go

Ashes

The bow snapped up for the arrow to be aimed fully and perfectly at Strange. Maybe it was ludicrous to try to fight a sorcerer with a medieval weapon. And it was. But wasn't the first time.

The city is flying and I've got…

something missing
ashes

"Tell me exactly what you did," barked Clint. "Now."

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If I need to change anything let me know!

hexx
2018-07-24 12:54 pm UTC (link)

Hopefully to the doctor's relief, help had arrived - and that help arrived in the form of the Scarlet Witch, who had been nearby doing some shopping. The distress invaded her mind, the pain - It was a sudden thunderclap, vision tilted off its axis, a charcoal fire. Loss. She recognized the signature as well, of whom it belonged to.

Red tendrils of energy sparked around her, lifting her in a crimson mist and pushed from her hands - she used the blast to propel herself, effectively levitating and leaping in great strides (it was difficult still to think of it as flying) to where Clint was standing off against Dr. Strange. And she landed in between them, shielding the doctor from the arrow's trajectory - he hadn't fired yet, so hopefully Hawkeye would lower his weapon.

Her hand outstretched as if reaching for contact, eyes glowing a dull red. "Clint," she spoke quietly, calmly. It took her a moment to get a read on the situation. "Stop, please. You've lost your family - " That was said for the benefit of Stephen, but Wanda didn't want to go too deeply - she knew how Clint was about people, things, in his head. "But it was not the doctor's fault."

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It's perfect!

antivillain_
2018-07-24 02:05 pm UTC (link)

Cooper Lila Nathaniel Laura

…

The moment something was wrong with the baby, he'd started to run for the telephone. Then instinctively slapped on his bow and quiver.

Then it was Cooper. Then Laura.

He'd grabbed Lila in his arms and started to run, away from the house, trying to carry her away from it, get out of range. But she disintegrated in his arms.

…

An octopus's brain is not solely in its head. (It doesn't strictly have a "head" and the brain is actually wrapped around the spinal cord but forget that for the moment.) Neurons are distributed throughout the body and in such concentration in its arms, they literally have minds of their own.

So it was sometimes with Clint. His brain was sluggish, fractured, not catching up quickly enough; but the moment Wanda was in his sights, his hands and arms lowered the bow at once, arrow again pointing to the ground.

"Are you in my mind?" he asked her, almost pleadingly. Let this be a vision. This shouldn't be real. "Or Loki?"

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It's perfect!

doctor__strange
2018-07-24 06:59 pm UTC (link)

Stephen wasn't the sort of person who cowered under pressure. Not even when a patient was dying on the table and he was doing what he could to stop it. He could have stopped the arrow, sent it flying through a suddenly open portal to harmlessly land in some far-flung sea with nary a thought.

But it was safe to say he let out a little exhale of relief when Wanda appeared, because she was the perfect person and friendly face that the archer needed. That, and Dr. Strange's bedside manner? Frankly, it sucked. And he'd be the first to admit it.

What caused him to look surprised was her revelation that he lost his family. Which explained everything. This was Wanda's territory, and he was going to make sure nothing happened to her while she was concentrating on Barton's shattered memories.

There was another thing which needed explaining, even if Strange found no joy in it, "Loki is no longer a threat or an enemy."

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Oops

biology_degree
2018-07-24 07:07 pm UTC (link)

"No one is in your mind Agent Barton."

Bobbi's voice was heard before she was seen. She'd received the distress call...it was good to be co-director of SHIELD...and answered it by simply showing up. Only she wasn't the first one on scene and things had gone sideways by the look of it.

Co-Director Bobbi Morse came walking out of a nearby alley. She wasn't wearing a uniform. Just a pair of jeans, a tank top and a pair of running shoes, but everything about her screamed Deadly.

"Whatever they told you is true." Strange and Maximoff. Neither of them were surprising. Strange was the welcoming committee and Maximoff had ties with Barton. "Stand down, and let us help you." More a polite suggestion than order.

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hexx
2018-07-24 07:25 pm UTC (link)

"No, I am really here," Wanda confirmed. She too exhaled an inward sigh of relief when Clint lowered the nocked arrow. "So are you."

And who was this new addition to the party? A SHIELD agent? Not surprising. They needed to feel useful after Nazi's infiltrated their organization and blew it up from the inside - like they were still in control when they were anything but.

Wanda mostly ignored her. She did not trust people she didn't know, and Clint was her friend - her main concern was him. "You are here, and we can figure things out together," she told Hawkeye. She wouldn't tell him things were fine, or that they'd be alright - by now, they both knew better. And what happened to his family made her heart ache - she understood loss, but this felt...off. She wanted to ask the doctor about it, since it had to do with the twisty universe. "Remember what you said? The city is flying and we're fighting an army of robots and I have a bow and arrow. Nothing makes sense. But we fought anyway. And maybe we can make sense of this now too."

She stepped closer, slightly. "And I can heal your hands."

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doctor__strange
2018-07-24 07:40 pm UTC (link)

Strange nodded over to Bobbi in acknowledgement. He heard that he was on the mass assassination list that SHIELD compiled before it fell. But he didn't hold any hard feelings against Fury or Morse. The past was the past, and they had few allies. He also knew Wanda's concern for her comrade was genuine.

"Hello again, Agent Morse" he said quietly to Bobbi, and then under his breath to Wanda, "Be careful you don't overdo it."

Magic was a manipulation of molecules, a harnessing of energy, and healing was very difficult to master. It was also taxing on a magician's reserves, even binding magic in order for the magician to walk with a paralyzed back meant that they couldn't do other spells for very long. Or they didn't have enough energy or willpower to maintain it, to begin with.

Wanda's powers were still unchecked, so it was better to issue the warning, then stand back and observe. Between Bobbi and Wanda, this was a situation under control.

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antivillain_
2018-07-24 08:03 pm UTC (link)

There were few people Barton would trust on word alone.

Bobbi Morse, fellow SHIELD agent with whom Clint had done field work when he wasn't partnered with Tasha, was one of them.

…And yes. No matter how they'd met, no matter how little he trusted magic, Wanda Maximoff was another. She was more than her powers and more to him than that too.

If Nat or Fury showed up, he'd either have to concede sanity or conclude he was completely mad. Hard to say which.

But, no matter what he'd seen, he didn't think he had it in him to make up someone like Strange.

Sanity it was, then.

Slowly but fluidly, Clint stuck the arrow back into the quiver and slung the bow over his shoulder.

Then, looking at Wanda with a heartbreaking expression, Clint let himself fall to his knees.

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seeswithboth
2018-07-27 07:29 pm UTC (link)

Fury watched the entire scene go down in the distance. He had thought of intervening, but when Bobbi showed up seconds later, he held back.

Her position was new, but she had the experience and more importantly, the relationship with Clint.

Slinking back into the shadows, he made a note to speak with Bobbi and possibly reach out to Clint soon. Maybe before someone else got to him.

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