New York City.
Brooklyn District.
A taxi stopped by the roadside.
A woman dressed in black tight-fitting clothes got out, the monochromatic outfit highlighting her figure in a unique way.
"The weather's nice."
A man in tactical gear followed her out of the car, carrying a long box in his hand, his expression full of vigilance as he surveyed the environment.
"That doesn't mean we can let our guard down."
This man and woman were none other than Hawkeye Clint Barton and Black Widow Natasha Romanoff, and they were here in New York's Brooklyn District to investigate Steve Rogers.
They had good reason to be cautious.
Because they discovered that someone had been tracking their movements lately.
Concern flashed in Natasha's eyes as she gently asked, "We just refused to return for debriefing a few days ago, and now there's already someone covertly tailing us... They could seek help, they're likely fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."
"Hmm, that's ironic."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Clint Barton's mouth as he looked at Natasha and said, "We're following orders from the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., yet other agents are stalking us, trying to capture us..."
"Ha..."
Natasha couldn't help but smile softly as she replied, "At least we're doing alright, unlike our dear director who's locked up in a cage..."
"Yes, let's go!"
Clint Barton nodded and smiled, bringing the topic to a close.
The two of them moved along the street, avoiding cameras while keeping an eye out for anything unusual, and saw no issues as they reached Captain America Steve Rogers' doorstep.
Clint casually pulled a wire from his pocket and started fiddling with the door, "Let's see when he left the house..."
However.
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps coming from inside.
The Captain had just removed the bandages from his wounds when he heard the rustling outside, and peered through the peephole to see the pair at his door.
"Clint? Natasha?"
Steve Rogers quickly opened the door, eyeing the wire in Clint's hand, then shifted his gaze to the shocked faces of Natasha and Clint.
The three of them were all a bit startled.
What's going on?
"Clint..."
Steve Rogers twitched his lips awkwardly and said, "You could've just knocked to come into my house..."
"He's just in the habit of doing that."
Natasha took the opportunity to tease Clint, raising an eyebrow at her teammate, signaling him to be more subtle.
"Just a reflex..."
Clint's expression turned a bit awkward.
Who could explain why Steve Rogers was still at home! Doesn't he know he's gotten himself into trouble?
No, that's not right...
Maybe he's completely unaware that he's been exposed.
What should we do now?
"Just as I have something to discuss with you..."
Steve Rogers furrowed his brow, inviting them inside his home, "Come in for a cup of coffee first... Things might be a bit complicated."
Steve Rogers did indeed need help.
Or rather, Steve Rogers needed someone to help him find his old friend Bucky, even though Bucky had attempted to assassinate him. Steve Rogers still wanted to find out what had happened to Bucky.
Bucky's appearance...
Made Steve Rogers realize he's not alone in this time.
Natasha and Clint exchanged a glance, nodding tacitly, and followed Steve Rogers inside.
Steve Rogers handed them each a can of coffee, sat across from them, and began to speak of Bucky: "I met someone a few days ago... Bucky Barnes... He's changed so much from the past... He tried to kill me."
"But..."
"Seventy years ago, we were comrades who would stake our lives for each other, or to put it another way, brothers who would die for one another."
"But after attempting to assassinate me, he vanished. I suspect he might be under the control of Hydra or some other organization..."
Steve Rogers poured out his suspicions, openly sharing with these two Avenger teammates, entirely unaware of how Natasha and Clint perceived him.
This Captain America...
Remains as naive as ever.
Natasha and Clint, however, are anything but naive. Their expressions turned increasingly peculiar; could it be that Steve Rogers wasn't colluding with Bucky Barnes?
What exactly is going on here?
While they discussed Bucky Barnes, a convoy of tall Hummer vehicles drove into Brooklyn District.
Leading the convoy.
Uehara Naraku sat in the front passenger seat with his eyes closed in contemplation.
In the back seat of this car sat a man and a woman, conspicuously the pair who defected from S.H.I.E.L.D. half a year ago, Coulson and Hill, both wearing secure handcuffs.
"Uehara Naraku, what are you planning?"
Special Agent Coulson didn't try to undo the handcuffs because he knew neither he nor Hill was a match for Uehara Naraku, he was simply curious why Uehara had brought him and Hill out.
Ever since Uehara Naraku orchestrated their 'defection incident,' the pair had been imprisoned by Uehara Naraku's subordinates.