Chapter 1 ANCHORS AWAY HOOONKKKK! Kate''s taxi driver slammed on his brakes, stopping just short of a woman crossing the street, lost in her phone. The woman barely looked up to shout something rude, and the taxi driver returned the attitude before driving off. Ah, New York City, Kate thought. She was home. Kate had landed in the city just hours ago, after spending the last few months tying up loose ends with her private investigator business in California. The taxi came to a slow stop at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Kate and Lucky, her dog, stepped out. Kate smoothed out a set of wrinkled bills and handed them to the driver, who sped out of sight, almost taking out another pedestrian. Kate bought herself and Lucky each a hot dog with everything on it from one of the vendors and sat down on a bench, taking in the familiar view of the East River.
"I know, Lucky--it''s not a New York slice, but you''ll have to make do," she told her furry friend. Chomping through the bun, Kate rifled through her phone and sent texts to all her New York City friends--Eli, Cassie, Billy, Teddy, and Tommy--to let them know she would be in town for a few days. Her finger hovered over one contact--Clint Barton. Finally, she formulated a text, letting him know that she was in town and that she would be headed back to Brooklyn, just as soon as she picked up a new batch of arrows from Tony Stark. She had a few minutes to snack before her phone buzzed. Clint''s contact picture filled her screen. CB Glad to know you''re back on the better coast, kid. I''ve got a surprise for you.
KB What is it?! Kate replied immediately, filling their chat with question marks. Clint didn''t reply, leaving Kate to finish her hot dog and watch the ships drift lazily down the river. Kate checked her phone for a reply from Clint, but no such luck. Typical Clint. A horrible texter. She chuckled to herself as she finished her hot dog and brushed crumbs off her hands. Thanks to New York City''s vibrant transit system, it was a quick train ride to Tony Stark''s state-of-the-art Stark Center. A place where community members could go to learn and develop their skills in music, art, engineering, and much more.
As she made her way out of the subway, Kate checked her phone to see if Clint had responded. Nothing. KB What''s the surprise?! I got one for you too. I''m bringing your favorite sidekick! Now your turn. Kate tapped her foot impatiently. Clint taking forever to answer wasn''t completely out of the ordinary, but this felt different. The same intuition that made Kate a great hero and private investigator made her feel like something was up. "I don''t know, Lucky, maybe it''s the hot dog, but I''ve got a pit in my stomach, and that''s the last thing I need on my first day back in NYC," Kate said.
"Huff" was all Lucky responded back. "Yeah, I agree, bud. Let''s just get these arrows, then we''ll check on Clint," she decided. The same way Kate had anchor points during archery to ensure her accuracy, she had anchor people in New York City and Los Angeles. Consistent and repeatable points and people that helped keep her aligned. Clint was one of her anchors in New York, someone who tied her to the place. He was the closest thing to a feeling of home that she had in the city. When Kate arrived at the Stark Center, it was nearly six p.
m. Students and Instructors alike were all exiting the building. "Oof!" In her hurry, Kate bumped into one of the center''s students, nearly bouncing off him. It was Miles Morales! "Hey, Kate! I didn''t know you were in town!" he said, kneeling down to greet Lucky with a head scratch. "It''s a recent development," Kate shot back. Miles laughed. "I gotta get going. I''m catching a basketball game with a couple of friends at the West Fourth Courts.
If you have time, you should stop by and shoot some hoops! If not, I hope I see you in one of these classes soon." "As fun as, um, shooting hoops sounds, I''ve got a meeting with Stark, so it''s a no from me today. But I plan to be in town for a while. Maybe I''ll stop by again," Kate said with a two-fingered salute as Miles took off. A few seconds later, the art instructor darted out of a classroom, shouting Miles''s name. "Uhhh. I think he left for the day," Kate offered. The art instructor sighed.
"Poor kid left his USB here. It has his art project on it." Kate lowered her sunglasses. "Isn''t he kind of a regular here? I''m sure he can pick it up tomorrow." "Oh, I''m sure you''re right," the instructor agreed. Kate excused herself and headed up the stairs toward Stark''s office with Lucky in tow. As the building cleared, Kate thought about how pleasantly surprised she was to see a familiar face in Miles, and she couldn''t wait to see Tony and Clint soon. Anchors, she thought.
As she got closer to the frosted glass of Tony''s office, she could see that he already had a guest. Kate barged inside. "Hate to interrupt, but I''m here on official Hawkeye business." She walked across the office to Tony''s desk. "Sorry I didn''t make an appointment," Kate joked. "Where are my arrows and who''s your friend?" she asked, gesturing to the other chair beside him. When no one answered, Kate spun the chairs around. Clint.
Tony. Both of them out cold. "C''mon, Lucky. Let''s--" It was too late--Lucky was sound asleep too. She began shaking Tony and calling his name. Tony''s eyes fluttered, and he mumbled something under his breath. Kate couldn''t quite make it out. "Huh?" "Madame Masque," he mumbled.
"Ow!" Kate''s hand flew to the side of her back as she felt the jab of an arrow, her world going blurry. Rule number one of being a PI-slash-super hero, Kate thought. Always assume it''s a trap.