The Avengers Assemble Again

Steve Rogers stood in an alley in Shinjuku, Tokyo, rain streaming down his cheeks. He had no umbrella and let the cold rain soak his clothes. A few dull thuds came from deep in the alley, like something heavy slamming into a wall, followed by a stifled scream.

He walked into the alley, stepping through puddles that reflected the neon lights. At the far end, three bodies lay on the ground, their throats slit, blood mingling with rainwater as it flowed into the drain. A man in a black trench coat stood with his back to him, wiping a bloodstained katana with his sleeve.

"Clint." Steve's voice was quiet beneath the rain.

Clint Barton paused, but did not turn around. He kept wiping the blade, his movements mechanical and practiced. "You shouldn't have come here, Steve."

"Natasha's worried about you."

"Then tell her not to be." Clint sheathed the sword and turned around.

There were several fresh cuts on his face, and the area around his left eye was bruised purple. His hair was cropped short, stubble covered his jaw, and his eyes were cold as ice. "I'm doing just fine."

Steve looked at the three bodies on the ground. "This is what you call fine?"

"They were human traffickers," Clint said flatly. "They abducted five kids last night. I just took the kids home, and now I'm dealing with this trash. Got a problem with that?"

Steve fell silent. He looked at Clint, once the Avengers' most dependable marksman, now a ronin dispensing vigilante justice in the dark.

The Snap five years ago had taken his wife and three children, while he had survived.

"I need you to come back," Steve said. "We have a chance to bring them back."

Something finally shifted in Clint's eyes. He stared at