[E D I T E D]

KILL YOUR MIND
❝life is simply a mix of mayhem and magnolias, so embrace this gentle riot and gather flowers along the way.❞

03. Disastrous Distractions

❝THREE SHIELD AGENTS, EIGHT-O-CLOCK – no, Katherine, for fucks sake, YOUR eight-o-clock. See them?❞

❝Yeah, I see them. They aren't really hiding, are they?❞

Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth ignores Katherine's sarcastic quip and continues to sit on the stool of the coffee shop they were currently hiding in. Money had always been short, the girls mainly slept on the streets in between fleeing areas, but, surprisingly, Katherine was good at pick pocketing. All it took was a quick, completely accidental, stumble into a passer-by and she could have their wallet in her hand. Of course, they should both probably feel shameful for it. Of course, neither of them did. Their victims were almost always well to do businessmen which, coincidentally, was exactly how Elizabeth had gotten herself into trouble on multiple occasions as a child.

❝Who do you reckon they're looking for?❞

The two were sat next to each other on the small outside table supplied to drink their beverages. Both were avoiding direct eye contact with the men scouting the area, even as they got too close for comfort amongst the sea of New Yorkers and wore the best smiles they could muster. Elizabeth was currently wearing a baseball hat, her very hair was too recognizable to be worn down, and she was slouched down in her seat. The pair, to outside eyes, seemed like normal siblings. Every so often, one of them would laugh, or at least chuckle and shake their head in fake exasperation, but with two of the three agents now scouting around the tables beside them, they'd sobered down.

❝Hm, I'm fucking wondering, Katherine❞

Elizabeth hisses back. She hadn't meant to snap, but currently, anxiety levels were high. Fight or flight adrenaline was pumping through both of their veins and Elizabeth was only one second away from fleeing the scene altogether. Katherine laughs. She'd never taken many things seriously and this was not going to be one of them. Ever since they'd escaped together, Katherine's personality had really managed to develop, and it had been only a few days after they had fled that she assumed her role as the 'Zen' one in their friendship.

❝Stop getting so stressed - Jesus just calm your tits woman.❞

If looks could kill, Katherine would have been long gone. From her peripheral vision, she sees one of the agents staring at them intently. Elizabeth just drums her fingers on the table and takes a long sip of her drink. One leg bouncing up and down, Elizabeth does a quick survey of the area.

Four immediate exits. First exit, dead end into a group of workspaces. Three immediate exits. Second exit, straight into a back-street alley. Could be useful. No, the backstreet alley lasts for a good mile and a half with no way out. Katherine would get tired. Elizabeth's leg bounces faster, and she thinks at three hundred miles per hour. Third exit, up the fire escape stairs. All the way to the top. Roof tops. Bingo.

❝When they notice us, we make a break for the fire escape stairwell on the thrift shop around the corner.❞

❝Artists and fleas?❞

❝uh-huh❞

Katherine hums in agreement, watching the thousands of faces pass them. Subtly, under the table, Elizabeth begins to stretch her legs, ready for the chase. Ever since the first wave of agents had been sent for them, it seemed as though there was an endless supply of them on their tail. They never could shake them. It was also painfully obvious that the organization trying to capture them was becoming increasingly annoyed at all the failed attempts, sending better agents each time. It was taking a toll on the girls as well. The constant worry of watching their backs was beginning to keep them up all night. No matter what Katherine claimed, Elizabeth knew she was dead frightened of being caught again. She never opened up about how she'd gotten into the trade alongside Elizabeth, but she did say it was an experience that had haunted her ever since. Elizabeth hadn't pushed for a further explanation.

❝Yano you could just do that cool magic trick-❞

❝No. Katherine. The first time was an accident and I'll never forgive myself.❞

Katherine just stares at her, skeptically. See, throughout their friendship, Katherine had learnt to read Elizabeth like reading a book. She knew what made her tick, what motivated her, what scared her, and she especially knew when she was lying. It worked both ways.

❝Bullshit. Elizabeth, when have you ever given a fuck about anyone other than me?❞

She just snorts. Taking a long sip of her drink before standing up, rolling back her shoulders. The three agents were now obviously homing in on them. Their tactic reminded Elizabeth of velociraptors in many ways. The way they came from all directions, aiming to herd them into a small spot to then strike with their badly concealed weapons. They had been rather subtle to begin with. Slowly looking closer at the pair. Yet, when Elizabeth saw one of them lean into their bulletproof vest to talk into a radio, eyes locking with hers, she knew they'd been found.

The pair were both tired. Not getting a decent sleep in the past week will not help Elizabeth in hand to hand combat but she had little choice. Failure wasn't an option. Grabbing Katherine's hand, pulling her up and away from their seats with more aggressiveness than she'd first planned, Elizabeth focused on getting them the hell out of there.

❝Since now.❞

And with that, they were up and barging through the crowds. Hearing the bark of the agents yelling into their radios, they turned a quick left on 12th street and pushed past anyone in their way. Elizabeth lead them both, knowing she was better at escaping than Katherine, but soon the three agents were on their tails again. They'd only lost them for a short minute before they were already in their way.

Upon reaching the stairs, the pair bolted up them. Ducking down only momentarily to dodge the crusade of bullets being poorly aimed above their heads from below, they continued until they reached the top. Breathing heavy, Elizabeth quickly looked around, trying to find somewhere that would provide them a place to hide. The closest thing in the area was the tattoo shop down on Starent Avenue. That was a good thirty-minute sprint.

Sighing, Elizabeth picked up her pace and ran south east. Katherine followed behind, on her heels, and they could now only faintly hear the army like barking of orders from the agents pacing behind. The two had stamina, Katherine less so but still enough, so the run wasn't as physically destroying as it probably should have been. But after only three minutes of running, an arrow gets shot directly past Katherine, startling her to a stop.

❝Fucking hell Katherine, MOVE!❞

Elizabeth snarls, watching behind the panic-stricken girl to see the three agents advancing on them. Her heartbeat was going at a million beats per minute and, as they advanced on her, her brain went blank. There only seemed to be one way out of this. SHIELD's agents had large guns, grenades, and knives visibly on them so a fight wouldn't turn out in their favour. Another man, most likely the one who shot the arrow, seemingly appears out of nowhere in front of Katherine. Elizabeth instantly gets into fight mode as he tries to touch her.

❝Get the fuck away from her, now.❞

She growls lowly. The man simply raises an eyebrow, putting his hands in the air in surrender, and puts his bow on the floor before stepping back and Elizabeth feels, for a strange moment, as though she should follow him. There is a sharp tug within her chest cavity, not quite her heart, which feels like a pull towards the archer. This only scares Elizabeth further. Katherine, still shaking with panic, looks at Elizabeth through tears and mouths 'sorry'. Her eyes soften, at the sight of the young girl, and merely mumbles back 'human nature' with a defeated shrug.

The three agents, despite the archers surrender, continue to stalk closer. Elizabeth's fingers are simply itching to release the pent-up energy within her. It was never something that she'd enjoyed doing but, with a red laser dot pointed at both of their chests, it was the only thing she could do to protect her and her companion.

❝Don't make me do this❞

Elizabeth grumbles, fighting back her own moral dilemmas , as she looks the three men in front of her in the eyes. They seem to only shake with laughter. She didn't want to do this. They probably had children, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, mothers, and a family. Something that Elizabeth and Katherine did not have.

But she had to do this. She couldn't fail Katherine.

❝Stand down agents.❞

The man with the bow and arrow barks. He was obviously the leader of the team but the dots on their chests don't stray. Katherine has, by now, collapsed to the ground in fear. Hand wrapped around Elizabeth's ankle as she sits curled up in the rooftop gravel. They're both shaking.

❝I said stand down agents!❞

He shouts, more powerful than before, but the agents only prowl closer.

❝We have orders from Pierce, Barton. Kill on sight.❞

Her heart stops. The man, supposedly named Barton, shakes his head. He seems to be just as shocked as they are. Katherine quickly sobs and Elizabeth is pretty sure she can hear her praying to some mythological Goddess.

Elizabeth slowly shakes her head. This was what not how she was going to die. Katherine deserves a better life than this. So, anger aflame in her eyes, with a raise of her hands, flicking her fingers down slightly, the three agents' hands simultaneously begin to claw at their throats in desperation.

Dropping their weapons, their hands go to their throats as they try to, in vain, breath. Elizabeth wipes her tears on her shoulder as she moves towards them. Scrunching her raised hand into a tight fist, they all begin to choke out screams. Katherine stays where she was, not moving an inch, as she watches the carnage. Blood begins to fill the agent's mouths and soon comes spilling out of their lips.

And Elizabeth watches without a flicker of regret.

Now, with both hands in the air, like a constructor, she flips her hands, so her palms are to the sky and her fingers are curling. Raising them slightly, the men go silent. Eyes staring blankly forward.

What a magic trick to hide.

Then, there's silence.

❝Thank fuck you got the balls to do it, Elizabeth. Fuck, I thought we were goners.❞

It's Katherine who breaks the silence, with a flicker of a smile on her face, Elizabeth turns to face her. At the young girl's choice of language, the archer raises an eyebrow which contrasts heavily against the pasty green tone his skin has adopted, but Elizabeth has already dragged Katherine into a tight embrace.

❝Jesus Christ Katherine, I thought you could handle a bloody arrow❞

She grumbles, to which Katherine just protests,

❝It was a bloody millimetre away from my fucking head!❞

Elizabeth only then remembers Barton standing by them. Instinctively grabbing the bow and set of arrows on the floor by them, she quickly stands to face him. His eyes are trained to not detect a glimmer of any emotion, but she picks up on the slight shake in his stance. Yet, along with that fear, there's curiosity. The man is basically waiting to get answers, but his face stays stoic. There's a few seconds where they just stand like that. Staring into each other's eyes, before Elizabeth reaches out the hand with his weapons in it. Nodding towards it, she waits for him to take them.

He's swift, quickly grabbing them before backing away a few steps.

❝Why are you looking for us? You obviously weren't sent here to kill us like the other men were. So why? What do you want from us?❞

Elizabeth says confidently, voice only breaking on the last question, and the man just fiddles with one of his arrows. Katherine is watching the man with fascination, and a slight hint of recognition. Finally, the agent looks back at them. Face impassive as always, he squares his shoulders.

❝I'm-❞

❝Clint Barton.❞

Both Elizabeth and Clint stare at Katherine in shock. The girl has no fear in her eyes. In fact, it looks to Elizabeth as though she trusts the man. Eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, she just stares at her to continue. Katherine looks at Elizabeth as though she's stupid, mirroring her eyebrow scrunch and looking as though his name was the easiest thing to know. With the way she way looking at Elizabeth, he may as well have been the fucking President.

❝He's an avenger. Hawkeye? You know, Earth's mightiest heroes? Saved the day way back in 2012 - no? Fucking hell Elizabeth, where the hell have you been for the past two years?!❞

Katherine exclaims in frustration, getting more and more exasperated as the questions go on.

❝In a basement.❞

Elizabeth replies dryly. Clint Barton looks at her in confusion, wordlessly asking her to continue but she just looks away. Katherine just stares at her in pity. She hated being looked at like that. Katherine knew it. Perhaps that was why she was doing it, the sneaky brat.

❝They're the good guys.❞

Katherine whispers, loud enough for Clint to hear as well, and she looks up at Elizabeth with the look a child would give when talking about Santa and sometimes Elizabeth truly does forget that Katherine is, in fact, a child. The same amazement and complete and utter blind faith in this man was worrying Elizabeth when added on top of the strange flinching sensation which had persisted since the archer's arrival. Never had Katherine ever been so trustful. She'd always been like a wild deer. Startled easily, and yet here she was, practically trusting the man like they had been aged old friends. It was childish and could get them killed.

❝Yes, well it seems not only are the bad guys out to kill us, but the good guys are as well. They were about to shoot at us, Katherine! He shot an arrow at you for Christ's sake!❞

Elizabeth was getting incredibly impatient at this point.

Clint Barton stood there, watching the two interact. He felt quite awkward being stood there but he knew that it was only a matter of time until he had to take them to Fury. He was angry. No, scratch that, he was furious. Whatever Pierce was playing at, it wasn't what Fury thought. I mean, shit, they were going to kill them both without a blink of an eye.

❝Hawkeye never misses.❞

Katherine stated simply. Stubbornly turning away. Elizabeth stands there, speechless.

❝The fuck he does!❞

❝He did it on purpose Elizabeth! Believe me! He's famous for never missing a shot!❞

It seems like it was the end of the conversation. There's a long pause. In that long pause, Clint Barton was just trying to think of something to say. Elizabeth was fuming, smoke could be seen coming out of her ears if you looked closely, and she was mostly confused at the blind trust Katherine had for this so-called superhero. Katherine was watching, humorously, as Elizabeth paced and looked at Clint as he began to speak.

❝As I said, I'm Clint Barton and I'd like to ask you both-❞

❝Shut it Legolas, because right now? I'm asking the fucking questions.❞

And for the first time in his career, apart from when he was around Natasha, Clint Barton closed his mouth and complied.