A Different Call

Journey to the Past

  A.N. These next few chapters will take place back when Clint first joined SHIELD.

Coulson's P.O.V.

"Sir, he's only seventeen, how much trouble could he have caused?" I asked.

"Forty kills in the past six months." Fury said.

"Oh." I started to flip through the kid's file.

Parents died when he was five. Then he and his brother, Barney, lived in a variety of orphanages for around three years before they ran off to the circus. Interesting. He at age twelve he got his own act, performing under the name the Amazing Hawkeye. Something must have gone wrong though because at age fifteen he joined the army after lying on the enlistment form. Strange, no evidence of the brother joining him. Left a year and a half later at sixteen when his commander found out he was underage. Didn't report him though. For the past six months, he has been working as a mercenary. I also noticed he only used a bow and arrow, the arrows turning into his calling card of sorts. Odd, most people in that line of work try to keep a low profile.

"As soon as you see him take him out," Fury ordered.

"But sir, most of the people he's targeting aren't stand-up citizens anyway, pimps, drug dealers, gang leaders. I mean murder is illegal, but is death the right answer?"

"For now, it's just the bad guys, but who knows how long it is before he starts targeting the good guys too. Some the intel I got said that he got a contract he's been trying to target a senator from Kentucky. The hit is planned for tomorrow night, that's where you come in."

"Wouldn't this job be better suited for someone like Garret, I mean I mainly just do recruiting missions, sir."

"I choose you for this mission Phil, and you will do. Tomorrow night, Kentucky. That's the end of it."

"Yes sir," I sighed, my heart heavy. I never had to target someone so young. That's the part of my job I hate the most, it's why I prefer recruiting. I love helping people hone their skills, rather than stop them when they get out of hand.

As I made my way back to my room, I ran into Agent May. "Hello," I said. She just gave me a brief nod in return like she always does, never a big talker.

I was in the middle of packing when Agent Garrett knocked on my door frame. I looked up and said, "Hey, what's up Garrett?"

"Hey Phil, heard you get to go on a real mission and not any of that level one supervising shit you've been doing."

I shook my head and went back to packing. The only thing Garrett cared about was the fighting and action aspect of our job, not the teamwork aspect Fury taught.

"So, who are you going after? Someone who threatened the president of some random country or a drug lord?"

"Nothing like that. It's a seventeen-year-old boy named Clint Barton." I reply focusing on the task at hand to keep my mind off the upcoming mission.

Garrett looked at the kid's file, "Wow, this kid's been everywhere I'm surprised he wasn't thrown in prison after the army thing."

"Yeah, I'm going to look into that during the flight. I figure his commanding officer felt sorry for him and turned a blind eye, just let the kid leave. Probably got him fired."

"Hmm, so how exactly are you planning on tracking this kid down? From the looks of things, he isn't an easy one to catch."

"Fury got intel about a contract he got. We'll know exactly where he is. Now can you go, I need to be well rested for tomorrow." I said try to get Garrett to leave.

"Sure, but just loosen up Phil it'll be over before you know it," Garrett said as he left. That's what bothered me about him, he never thinks about the fact he's killing someone, just sees it as part of the job.

I finished packing and settled down, trying to fall asleep while regretting the events that would happen tomorrow.