Chapter Text
Clint felt the familiar rumble of the Quinjet settling in the hanger. At once he and the other occupants grabbed anything, they set beside them and filed out of the ramp already unfolding in front of them. The bridge was just as bustling as ever; there were soldiers and technicians running back forth, the sounds of bullhorns calling out announcements and people. Clint took one more moment to breath in all the sights and sounds before something cut through his moment “Hey Clint!?”
He turned to see Wade, wearing his usual red black attire waving like an idiot from across the bridge. Clint rolled his eyes and adjusted the large bag on his back, but he did offer Wade a weak smile. Wade attempted to break towards Clint but the two escorts in black SHIELD clothing stopped him and mumbled something, now Clint gave a genuine smile as Wade’s energy seemed to dissipate in response “How’s it going Wilson?”
“Dude I am so jazzed; I can’t believe I finally get to officially visit a Helicarrier.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty…did you say jazzed, did you say officially?”
“Well yeah, there was this one time I wanted some information, uhm, expunged from their computers…”
One of the escorts cleared his throat loudly and Wade nodded in response. The two escorts filed out towards a glass door leading out of the bridge and Wade and Clint followed “Basically I only saw the air ducts.”
Again, Clint couldn’t help but laugh. Something about being back on a Helicarrier filled him with joy, it was just something familiar and comforting. The smell of AC air and the constant sound of boots stepping made Clint feel more at ease than his own apartment did, it made him wonder why he left. As the group rounded a corner, they had to dodge a group of soldiers jogging towards them “You guys late to make a fly by at a kids’ birthday party or something?”
The escorts ignored Wade’s question and continued to walk. “Don’t mind them, they’re always like this.”
“What is it part of their SHIELD training?”
“No, you need to come in with rude on your resume.”
Wade gave a bit of a belly laugh, as if he were trying to annoy the men “Hey, hey Clint what kind of movies do you think these guys like?”
“Uhm, I don’t actually know where you’re going with that?”
“Mumblecore!”
. . .
Maria Hill stood at the center of the Helicarrier’s bridge looking over everyone. There must have been a hundred computer consoles with workers furiously typing or talking into earpieces. Behind her she heard the door to the bridge slide open “Mumblecore, get it?”
“No yeah I get it, you don’t have to say it again man.”
Maria turned to greet her new arrivals “Barton, nice to see you again.”
“Yeah I’m sure it is” she then turned to nod at Wade “Thank you for answering my call Mr. Wilson.”
“Eh just Wade is good, I’m not really about the official stuff.”
“Yes, I’ve been informed” She then turned back to the rest of the bridge “Can we clear the room please?!”
As if rehearsed, every worker turned off their monitors and filed out. Someone else must have triggered something because the lights of the bridge dimmed and the ground around Hill and the others. Hill and Clint stepped clear of the circular glow; Wade mimicked them after a minute. A large blue projection materialized in front of them depicting an old castle. “Let’s keep it brief, Taskmaster has set up shop in one of Doctor Doom’s old haunts.”
“To be honest I was expecting something more absurd, but this is the proper amount” Clint said investigating the layout “Do we know about the interior, how many men he’s got?”
“No and yes, seems like he’s working with Madame Hydra and her troops.”
“Oh, the sea Nazis, there’s your absurd” Deadpool began to imitate Clint “What’s running this little light show by the way, two, no, five PlayStation fours?”
“Are you being serious” she asked
“I mean I know a robot who moved a human into a robot with fifty so anything’s possible.”
Clint moved away from the hologram, just to get it all in view “Why not just send a strike team, or bomb the place?”
“Shield is trying not to be so big and scary, now that we’re a publicly known organization we’ve got eyes on us.”
“So, you’re sending in a mercenary and a carny?” Clint shot Deadpool a look “Wade”
“Sorry, former carny.”
“You two, and I mean this as a compliment, are pretty free of the public eye, plus I doubt Hydra or Masters know how to deal with you.”
Clint nodded “Wildcards, alright.”
Wade raised his arm frantically “Are you sure I’m not in the public eye, I’ve fucked up a lotta stuff.”
Maria ignored him, tapping a button on one of her gloves and causing the image of the castle to disappear. It was replaced by a more zoomed out image depicting a large body of water surrounding an island with the castle on it “Your insertion point will be right here, the edge of the land mass, we’re not sure what they have in the way of air defenses so you’ll be given your own Quinjet.”
“We get to fly a Quinjet?”
“No, Clint gets to fly a Quinjet while you watch the fuel dial.”
“This I can do.”
“So, what exactly do you need us to do?”
There was a short pause and an uneasy feeling filled the room. Clint watched Maria for an answer, she didn’t meet her gaze. When she did her expression was dead serious “Do what you need to.”
Clint only nodded in response, the hologram faded, and the light returned to the bridge “I’ll leave you to it, good luck.”
Wade and Clint left the bridge, this time without an escort, Clint knew his way to the armory and from there; as soon as the doors to the bridge closed Wade turned to his friend and whispered very loudly “What happened to the director?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I never met her before but I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be missing an eye.”