164AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is my first fanfiction, so hold with me please. This takes place after The Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron and Season 5 of Merlin. It is before Civil War, so not compliant with that at all. Constructive criticism is welcome.
Disclaimer: I wish.
Maria Hill frowned at the tablet computer in her hands. "We're getting some… strange energy readings in Europe, sir."
"What kind of readings, Hill?" The question came from one Nicholas J. Fury, former director of the government agency SHIELD. "Be specific."
Maria took a breath, and said haltingly, "The readings are similar to the readings SHIELD scientists recorded when they were studying the tesseract."
Fury closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. He hated that cube. It had cost thousands of people their lives. Not to mention that it seemed as if it had thrown off the balance of the universe. Since New York, things had been strange, to say the least.
New, super-powered individuals had been popping up all over the place since then. Vision, the Maximoff girl, and the Falcon were only a few among many. To add to that issue, the amount of catastrophic events had risen.
As SHIELD no longer officially existed, due to the events surrounding the Winter Soldier, Fury had been finding it a bit trickier to get things done. Less manpower meant less information.
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep back the headache that had suddenly blossomed there. "See if Barton and Romanoff are available for a reconnaissance mission. Engage only if necessary. Figure out what this is, and get back to me as soon as possible. Get this under control."
Hill nodded, the skin around her eyes tight. She could tell that something big was going to go down. "Yes, sir," she said, already reaching for her phone. "I'll get them right on it."
Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, known as Black Widow and Hawkeye respectively, stalked through a dense forest, toward a remote, unnamed, European lake. They were currently arguing.
"I still think this is a very bad idea," Clint told Natasha, hopping over a fallen tree. "We're hiking through the woods towards an unknown, possibly hostile… thing. Come on, Nat, you know this is a stupid thing to do! We have no idea what we're getting into!"
Natasha rolled her eyes. She pushed a branch out of her way, smirking when it smacked Clint in the face. She could hear him cursing under his breath. They'd had to leave the Quin-Jet several miles back in a clearing. Clint was not happy about the trek through the woods. He had been complaining for the last half hour. This was his current angle.
"We're following orders, Barton," Natasha said over her shoulder. "This is the mission. Deal with it. We're almost there anyway, so shut your trap."
Clint huffed. He tugged his quiver higher over his shoulder. His compound bow was in his hands, an arrow already nocked. He was tired. And annoyed. This mission had interrupted a vacation to Disneyland with his children and wife. But apparently, it had been important and very urgent.
Whatever. Clint didn't care. Unless the world was going to end. Then he did care, a little bit. But why did world-ending disasters always happen at the most inconvient times?
Natasha tapped the sensor clutched in her hand. They were getting closer. No more than a quarter of a mile. "Stay quiet!" Natasha hissed, to silence Clint's grumbling. "We're almost there."
The setting sun was sending glistening flecks of light off the lake in front of Merlin. The Lake of Avalon. The water rippled gently where Freya had just disappeared into it. Since Freya's death, and her subsequent position as the Lady of the Lake, Merlin had had one day a year, every year, from sunup to sundown, with her.
Today had been that day. It had been wonderful. The sun had been bright. The wind had been cool. They'd had a picnic on the shores of the lake. They'd reminisced about old times. Merlin had regaled Freya with stories of his travels, and his long ago adventures with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Merlin had been waiting nearly sixteen hundred years for Arthur's return. Freya had told him that he'd have to wait a little longer. Merlin didn't mind the waiting as much as he used to. He'd used his numerous years to hone his skills, see the world, and learn as much as he could.
Merlin stared at the lake for just a minute longer. Then he let loose a long sigh, and stood, grabbing his hiking backpack, and tying his bandana more securely around his neck. Merlin still wore the same basic style of clothing; sturdy boots, heavy jeans, t-shirts, a camo army jacket from his time in the military, and a red and white bandana.
Merlin hitched his backpack up, and turned away from the lake. The woods were growing darker with the setting sun, but Merlin knew this forest well. He knew exactly how to get back to the small cottage he had on the borders of the closest town.
As Merlin stepped between thick tree trunks, tramping through the brush, something set his nerves on edge. Merlin grew more tense as the forest grew steadily darker. A twig snapped somewhere ahead of him and slightly to the left. Merlin snapped his gaze toward it, trying to keep his breathing quiet.
A branch creaked, closer this time. Merlin ducked behind a thick tree. He could see two dark shapes moving quietly through the trees, straight toward him.
Clint and Natasha were close. Very close. Of course, that was when things went a little bit crazy. The sensors on the device in Natasha's hand buzzed loudly, static echoing off the trees. There was an audible hiss, then it suddenly died. Natasha growled and tapped the screen. Nothing.
"We have to hurry," Natasha breathed in Clint's ear. "The sensors just went nuts. Whatever was causing those readings either knows we're here and is sending us a warning, or it's more powerful than we originally thought."
Clint nodded, fingering the fletching on his arrow. He could see the lake glinting through the thinning trees. And silhouetted against the shining lake, a figure. It was a person. A man, by the looks of it. The man ducked behind a tree when he saw the pair.
Natasha and Clint scanned the trees, as they moved forward, watching carefully for hostiles. The pair split up, heading in different directions around the tree. "Who's there?" Natasha called, fingers tight on the grip of her gun.
Behind the tree, Merlin frowned. He hadn't expected to see anyone else in the woods. There were hardly ever people in this area of the woods. But there was a hardly in that sentence. Which meant that it was still possible.
"Who's there?" Natasha called again. Goosebumps rippled up her arms, making her skin tingle. "Come out with your hands raised, and we won't have any reason to hurt you."