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Clint was the first one to uncover the news.
They hadn’t been the only ones to escape the Raft that day.
“Shit,” he whispered, standing up with the tablet in hand. “Steve, a thing happened.” He waved the tablet. “A thing thing. A Bad Thing, capital letters necessary.”
Steve plucked the tablet out of his hand. He sighed while focusing on the small screen.
“Justin Hammer?” The name barely rang a bell. He scrolled down. “He’s a nobody. Tony can take care of him. He already did once.”
Clint pursed his lips.
“He got out because of us.”
“He’s small potatoes, Hawkeye. We need to focus on mopping up the last of Hydra.” Clint stepped back at the use of his codename. Steve had never used it outside of the field before. “We don’t have the resources to focus on just one man. We have to stick to the bigger picture.” Steve handed the tablet back to Clint and went back to the map of North Korea. Clint stood there for a moment before walking away.
They were resting in Wakanda two months later when the subtitled news caught Clint’s eye. He turned the volume up, catching Steve and Sam’s attention.
“Details are still coming in on the recent bombing at MIT. Earlier this morning at the graduation of the class of 2016 a bomb under a podium detonated. This video was captured from the stands. The images are graphic.”
The video had the backdrop of whistling wind before a familiar face appeared on screen.
“Every one of you will have an impact, make your mark on this world. Going forth—”
A blast rattled the camera. As it fell to the ground smoke and body parts littered the area. There was screaming before the video was cut off.
“Fatalities are currently at 23, including Tony Stark—” The newscaster paused, his mouth opening slightly. “Responsibility has been claimed by Justin Hammer, the former—”
The remote control shattered the TV screen. Steve was standing and breathing hard. He ran over and pulled the TV off the wall.
Clint tried to say something, but Steve’s scream of frustration cut him off. Clint gaped before fleeing as Steve started destroying the room.