Solo Avengers #3

1st story:
'Blast! I've been on the defensive ever since this battle began... and things are going from bad to worse!' Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye thinks to himself as he grits his teeth and fires an arrow. He tells himself that he has been shooting his arrows faster than he can aim, just to keep these guys off his tail. 'YIKES!' Clint thinks, as several daggers are thrown towards him, narrowly missing him. A figure leaps towards him, 'You are slowing down, mon ami! Burning out! You barely managed to dodge those sais, and you certainly won't avoid – me!' Batroc the Leaper mocks as he nears Hawkeye, who falls backwards, avoiding Batroc, boasting that he heard him a mile off, and that he can easily roll beneath his clumsy attack. Hawkeye adds that archery may be his speciality, but that he also took combat lessons from Captain America himself.

Hawkeye recovers, getting back to his feet, while thinking that he wishes he was half as confident as he sounds, as, truthfully, he is starting to tire. 'I've gotta put the skids on this bum before he can -' Clint thinks to himself, but as he raises his bow and arrow, he sees that Batroc has vanished. 'He's gone!' Clint shouts, when suddenly, Batroc swings down and kicks Hawkeye towards the large open arches that surround the high-level floor that they fight on.

'Not gone, mon ami!' Batroc calls out, explaining that he was merely placing himself into the proper position to deliver his death blow and bring a dramatic close to the adventures of an American archer in Paris! 'Whoops!' Clint cries as he slips backwards, past two others armed with weapons, and over the balcony, he begins to plummet to the ground, many floors below.

Even as he falls to almost certain death, the ace archer coolly reacts into his quiver, instinctively selecting a specific arrow, and firing it, it strikes the balcony he fell from, and Clint swings back towards the building. 'To think I gave up a promising career in a carnival for this! I oughta have my head examined!' Clint jokes. More knives are thrown towards Clint, and he decides that this is another fine mess he has gotten himself into. 'Guess I just don't live right!' Clint jokes. Unbidden, images suddenly flood Hawkeye's mind as he recalls the events that led to this perilous position:

Flashback:
Twenty four hours ago, Clint was still in the Los Angeles headquarters of the West Coast Avengers, talking with his wife and teammate Bobbi Morse-Barton a.k.a. Mockingbird, who exclaims 'You received a one way ticket to Paris from Trick Shot, your former mentor?' and reminds her husband that Trick Shot vowed to kill him, so this is obviously some kind of death challenge. 'Obviously' Clint agrees. Bobbi tells him that he can't possibly accept. Throwing his arms into the air, Clint tells her 'No way!', before suggesting that he can cash in the ticket and take his beautiful wife to dinner with the proceeds. 'Promise?' Bobbi asks. 'I promise already!' Clint tells her.

They embrace, and Bobbi smiles, telling Clint that it isn't because she doesn't trust him. 'I know, sweetheart... I know... listen, Mockingbird, I love you! I really do!' Clint replies, frowning, and holding an arrowhead on his hand behind Bobbi's back. 'Know something, Hawk? YOU'RE A LYING TWO-FACED CHEAT!' Bobbi shouts. Flipping Clint backwards, she tells him that she heard him slip that gas arrowhead out of his tunic.

 Clint throws more arrowheads towards Bobbi, who flips over and dodges them, telling Clint that she knows just how his devious mind works! 'Macho pride is forcing you to accept that ridiculous challenge!' Bobbi calls out. Clint thinks that he used a few bad throws to distract his wife, so that he could easily catch her on the way down – and as Mockingbird lands, an arrowhead explodes in front of her, releasing a gas. The arrowhead is filled with a fast-acting sleep gas, so Bobbi won't be hurt – until she wakes and finds that Clint has gone.

'I feel like such a heel!' Clint thinks to himself shortly after as the aircraft heads towards Paris. The uneventful trip took a total of twenty-two hours including a one hour layover in Chicago, and the nine hour time difference between Los Angeles and Paris. Luck was with Clint on the Customs line, as only a few people were asked to unpack their luggage, and Clint wasn't one of them – and he spotted two gentlemen who were obviously sent to tail him. No sooner did he check into his hotel room, than an envelope was slipped under his door. It contained a single picture, of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Making his way upwards, Clint decided that Trick Shot certainly doesn't believe in wasting time. 'I know he's around here somewhere' Clint thinks. But instead of his former mentor, Clint found three other assassins!

Present:
'Monsieur Trick Shot sends his regrets!' the shirtless assassin with a large sword calls out as he uses his weapon to cut the cable that was connected to the arrow, but Hawkeye clings to a lower part of the building. 'He couldn't be here...so he sent us!' the shirtless assassin adds. Hawkeye recognizes the assassins, and wishes he didn't – Batroc the Leaper, Zartan the Weapons Master and Machete the King of Knives. Clint wonders where Trick Shot is, as it is not like him to use hired help on a personal vendetta, but decides that he can't worry about that now. On the rooftop of a nearby building, three figures are watching Hawkeye. One of them remarks that he appears to be in a hopeless position, and asks if they should move in, but another declares 'No! I have heard that he is very resourceful. Let's see if he is worthy of his illustrious reputation'.

Zaran holds onto Machete as he leans over the edge of the balcony, 'Can you see him?' Cartan asks. 'What's the bloody fool doing now?' 'He is crazy, Zaran! Muy loco!' Machete replies, as he sees Hawkeye using the remaining arrow line to swing to a nearby rooftop. As he lands on the rooftop, Clint tells himself that logic says he should keep running – but no one has ever confused him with Mr Spock. He knows that he can't just leave Paris until he has found Trick Shot and settled things between them.

'Hurry mes amis!' Batroc calls out to the others, walking a tight rope between the two buildings, he tells Zartan and Machete that they must follow Hawkeye. 'Our client will be less than pleased if we fail him!' Batroc points as out as he leaps towards Hawkeye, who looks up and asks 'Where is Trick Shot? Why'd he hire you, Batroc?' but Batroc somersaults through the air and replies that modesty and professional ethics demand that he keeps silent. Hawkeye fires an arrow, but he misses, so tells Batroc that his leap was way off target. 'It was meant to be!' Batroc responds, as he lands on a nearby platform, then bounds off it, explaining that he was merely cutting off Hawkeye's escape route. 'Who's escaping?' Clint asks, joking that he was trying to get in a little sightseeing before he flattened Batroc and his heavy-footed friends. With that, he tosses an arrowhead towards Machete and Zaran who had arrived on the rooftop, the arrowhead strikes Machete and knocks him out with some sort of gas.

Zaran moves in, telling Hawkeye that he managed to stun Machete with a lucky shot. 'It's a pity that I have moved in too close for your bow and arrows to be of any use now!' Zaran calls out as he prepares to battle Hawkeye with his lance, which clashes against Hawkeye's bow, as Hawkeye tells him that normally he would agree with him, butr that his bow is a finely tuned instrument, a work of art which should never be used like a common baseball bat! Hawkeye then supposes that it will do in a pinch, as he slams his bow into Zaran, while Batroc leaps over to them, remarking that he is impressed, as Hawkeye is more than a match for his two bumbling associates. 'But what do you intend to do about me?' Batroc asks. Hawkeye jokes that he could buy a pogo stick to keep up with him, then drops onto his back and kicks upwards, slamming into Batroc, who lands against a nearby chimney. 'Or I could just settle on using this handy little maneuver which Captain America taught me!' Hawkeye exclaims, adding that it is crude, but effective.

'Enough!' Zaran shouts as he gets to his feet and prepares to throw more daggers towards Hawkeye. 'We have suffered enough pain and humiliation at your hands!' he exclaims. 'Keep it down, will ya?' Hawkeye calls back, joking that he would hate to be accused of assassin abuse!

On the rooftop, two of the figures watching Hawkeye appear in full view, one of the men whispers that this is starting to get way out of hand, and suggests that perhaps they should interfere now. The other figure is in the shadows, but her high-heeled shoes can be seen, and shew instructs her companions to let the fight finish.

'What's with you guys? Don't suppose tou know you're supposed to be unconscious after a hero clobbers you?' Hawkeye asks then, joking that it is in their union contract. More daggers dart past Hawkeye, who tells Zaran that his bad knife throwing is starting to bug him. 'Where's your pride, man?' Hawkeye asks, before firing an arrow with quick-drying adhesive, which strikes Zaran and pins him to a wall. Hawkeye tells him it might give him time to consider his appalling lack of professionalism. Suddenly, before Hawkeye can draw another arrow, Batroc strikes with the speed of an enraged cobra, sending Hawkeye crashing through a skylight window. 'You have gone too far, archer! You must be taught the respect of your betters!' Batroc exclaims. The two men who were observing the fight drag Machete along the rooftop, to where Zaran is still trapped against the wall. 'Look! They crashed into the restaurant below – and Hawkeye lost his bow!' one of the men calls out. The woman, still in the shadows, follows the men and tells them not to worry, as Hawkeye is an Avenger and won't allow any innocents to be harmed.

Down below: 'I shall soon skewer you like the pig you are!' Batroc calls out as he leaps towards Hawkeye, with two flaming kabob skewers in his hands. Civilians in the restaurant panic and start to run, while Hawkeye grabs a tablecloth: 'Mind if I get a little nibble from that shish-kabob first? I'm famished!' he jokes, before telling Batroc that if he is going to eat with his fingers, then he insists on a napkin! Hawkeye throws the tablecloth over Batroc, who drops the flaming kabobs. 'Stop it! You're trying to make a fool of me!' Batroc calls out, pulling the tablecloth away from his face, he punches Hawkeye, who replies 'Why? Would you rather do it yourself?'

Looking around the restaurant, Clint realizes that it is obvious these Frenchmen haven't seen many costumed clowns mix it up, so they don't know enough to clear out, so he decides he will have to take a few bad kicks in order to direct the fight outside. Batroc kicks Hawkeye, who attempts to open a door – but it's not a door that leads outside, and he finds himself in some sort of storage room. 'You thought to escape me, mon ami?' Batroc asks. 'Nope! Just wanted to get away from all that fancy food – before I was tempted to go off my diet' Hawkeye jokes, before telling Batroc that he hopes he doesn't mind a quiet corner that is a little too cramped for him to bounce around and use his savate against him.

'You insolent swine! Savate is an artistic form of foot-boxing reserved for gentlemen! I do not need it against one such as you!' Batroc exclaims, but as Hawkeye prepares to punch him, Batroc grabs his arm, telling Hawkeye that he is exhausted, dead on his feet, and not able to think about this obvious headbutt – as Batroc slams his head into Hawkeye's. Batroc continues to hold Hawkeye's arm and tells him not to fall down yet, as he hasn't finished punishing him. 'You can take one more shot, can't you?' Batroc asks. 'Sure!' Hawkeye replies as he pulls back from Batroc, and punches him hard in the face. 'Can you?' Hawkeye asks, as Batroc falls backwards.

Hawkeye supposes that all those years of tugging his bowstring have paid off in upper body strength. Suddenly, a voice calls out to him. 'Now what?' Hawkeye wonders, before turning, and seeing the two men who were spying on him with a woman, who is wearing a silver dress and mink fur, holding a gun towards him. 'Who are you?' Hawkeye asks, surprised. The woman introduces herself as Silver Sable, and proclaims to arrest Hawkeye in the name of France for the cold blooded murder of the costumed adventurer known as Trick Shot. 'WHAT?' the surprised Hawkeye shouts.

2nd story:
A figure in a white costume with large white cloak drops from an aircraft in the dead of night, under the light of the moon, holding some sort of para-glider, he wonders what it was that Shakespeare wrote: “All the world's a stage”?, and “One man in his time plays many parts”. Moon Knight decides that “old Willie” was on the money there, as in his time, he has been a boxer, a mercenary and a millionare. He has driven cabs and dealt in fine art – but who would have thought he would end up playing hero. He has used a lot of names in his life, the one he answers to most is the one his father gave him, Marc Spector, except when he is wearing this costume, then he calls himself Moon Knight. 'Funny, the things that run through your mind when you're thousands of feet in the air' Moon Knight realizes, recalling that just days before he had joined the Avengers, arguably the world's foremost group of heroes – so why was he doing his lone ranger number again – because of a man named Cornelius van Lunt.

Moon Knight gets lower, approaching a large mansion built onto a large rock that juts out of some water. He knows that van Lunt was a would-be criminal mastermind who had given his new partners plenty of grief, and he was still at large, which is why he is currently looking for  information on his whereabouts – but the problem is that the only real contact Moon Knight has here in California was Jack Russell – and he is a werewolf! Aside from the fact that he got a little wild under a full moon, Russell was an okay guy, and Moon Knight thinks he could trust him. He lands on the side of the large mansion, while releasing his glider, which floats back into the air. It was at Russell's suggestion that he come to this isolated estate in the Santa Monica Mountains, as there was a rumor it belonged to a renegade LA gangster, and Russell said that if anyone knew where van Lunt was, the man inside would. Moon Knight hopes that Jack was right.

Moon Knight also hopes that he could persuade this crime boss to talk, as his kind are notoriously uncooperative around people in Moon Knight's line of work. He thinks that it is lucky he is not that well known on the West Coast – so if “Mr Know-It-All” hadn't heard about his new group affiliation, then maybe he can convince him that they work on the same side of the street. Moon Knighht uses a rope to climb up the side of the mansion, and wonders if he could spook up on the man he has come to speak to by sneaking up on him unannounced. Entering through a window, Moon Knight looks around at the inside of the mansion and decides that perhaps he couldn’t, as whoever lived in this place had to be pretty much spook-proof – or an old spook himself. From somewhere outside, Moon Knight hears a sound, and swears that he was a cross between a belly laugh and the howl of a wolf. It makes him wonder where Russell was tonight – and if he was wrong to trust him so soon before a full moon!

Moon Knight knows that he shouldn't let these things get to him, after all, he is as much a creature of the night as Russell is – but still, there was something about this place that sets his nerves on edge. As he makes his way down a staircase, there is a clicking noise, and suddenly, large spikes bursts from the wall. Moon Knight rolls in time, although he falls off the staircase, and clings to the side of the wall, a massive drop beneath him. He thinks that the booby trap could have been triggered automatically, but has the sinking feeling that it wasn't. His feelings aren't always that sinking, though. He looks down, and sees the floor of the tower several stories beneath him. He knows he could probably survive the fall without injury, he doesn't think there is a need to take further chances, not when the gargoyles below provide such an easy perch – but as he drops down onto them, he discovers they were too easily accessible, as the gargoyle statue flips upwards, knocking Moon Knight into the air.

About a second away from an ungraceful landing on the ground, a trapdoor opens beneath Moon Knight, who falls through it, giving him enough time to get his feet under him again, he rebounds through a mass of phony theatrical spider webs, he begins to think he has been set up, but is unsure why and by whom. Finally with his feet on the ground, he wonders what is going to be thrown his way next, when suddenly, three sets of knight armor that stand against a nearby wall come to life, and fire darts from their helmets. Moon Knight sees this, and catches a glimpse of liquid on the tips of the darts as they flash by. It could be an anaesthetic drug or a hallucinogenic – or something more lethal – and he wants no part of it, blocking the darts with the protective bands around his wrists, he then hurls a large chair at the armor, breaking the armor apart.

Moon Knight is certain that someone was directly running this chiller-theater obstacle course. If there were any infrared beams or trip-wires, he would have spotted them, but there weren't even any tell-tale signs of hidden cameras – which meant the resident mastermind was watching from somewhere close by. Suddenly, another trapdoor opens right beneath Moon Knight – and through the trapdoor, flames dart about wildly. Moon Knight grabs the edges of the trapdoor before he falls though, and pulls himself back onto the ground, where he shouts 'That does it! I've had enough! Show yourself! Face me like a man!' He knows it was a stupid, macho challenge, and hoped that his opponent was stupid and macho enough to fall for it.

The echoes of Moon Knight's challenge die down, when something across the room begins to move. Moon Knight swears that he wasn't there a moment ago, as someone just melts out of the shadows and exclaims 'You have entered my Tower of Shadows unbidden! And so you must face my judgment – the judgment of the Shroud!' the mysterious being calls out. 'Face this!' Moon Knight retorts as he hurls an axe towards the Shroud – meaning to pin his cape to the wall – however the Shroud vanishes, and re-appears behind Moon Knight. 'You think you know the dark, Moon Knight...but I am its master!' the Shroud boasts. Moon Knight doesn't take more than a second to react, but in that time, as Moon Knight hurls some darts towards him, the Shroud vanishes again.

The Shroud re-appears behind Moon Knight again, and punches him in the back of the head, 'You are wasting your time... and mine. You cannot beat the Shroud!' the Shroud exclaims as he vanishes and re-appears in front of Moon Knight, slamming him back against a wall. Moon Knight's strength waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon, so he thinks to himself that it is fortunate there is a full moon tonight, otherwise the Shroud would have put him away with that first punch. Moon Knight's foe seems to be everywhere, and Moon Knight is unable to lay a hand on him – he can barely see him. Being in the dark, Moon Knight is disadvantaged, but he has something in his weapons pouch to turn that around, and throws a self-igniting magnesium flare which Hawkeye added to his arsenal into the room, the blinding light illuminating the room, and showing Moon Knight where the Shroud is, hopefully blinding him enough to make him an easy collar – but Moon Knight's plan doesn't go to plan, as the light makes him blink, which he had been expecting to, but the light doesn't phase the Shroud at all.

What's more, the flare fades prematurely, almost as if the darkness was overwhelming it. Moomn Knight knows that if he is going to lay his hands on the Shoud, it is now or never. Moon Knight rushes forward, and reaches out, grabbing the Shroud's cloak just as he starts to disappear into the shadows. 'Don't go slipping back into the shadows just yet, Shroud!' Moon Knight calls out. He pulls the Shroud back into the room: 'You and I have things to discuss!' Moon Knight exclaims as he slams the Shroud onto the ground, then puts him in a headlock. 'You knew my name...even though it's not exactly a household word in these parts! Did Russell set me up? Did he?' Moon Knight shouts. 'You're a persistent man, Moon Knight...but it takes more than persistence to win the day!' the Shroud responds, as he slips out of the choke hold with ease, like he was in control of the situation and Moon Knight could do nothing to stop him.

The Shroud forces Moon Knight across the room, where he slides across a table, and slams into a large chair. The Shroud has moves that Moon Knight hasn't seen this side of the Orient – and the Shroud knows how to use them. The Shroud raises a fist to Moon Knight and declares that he will teach him to respect the hand of darkness – but Moon Knight kicks the Shroud backwards before his fist can strike. 'Sorry, I'm a slow learner' Moon Knight replies. The Shroud rolls away from his kick fast, as if the Shroud knew it was coming before Moon Knight did. Moon Knight believes the Shroud is rattled, and the Shroud grabs a large candlestick and strikes back – slamming it across Moon Knight's face, but it doesn't do the Shroud much good.

'A candle... you hit me with a candle?' Moon Knight remarks, before losing his temper, he leaps towards the Shroud and traps the Shroud in his cloak, 'I'm tired of this nonsense, Shroud – it's over!' Moon Knight exclaims, wrapping his cloak around the Shroud's head, he tells him not to try slipping out of this, unless he wants moon Knight to cut his wind off completely. Moon Knight is sure he has the upper hand, but then the room turns pitch black. Even in his Moon Knight's strangle hold, the Shroud still controls the darkness, so Moon Knight knows that he has to break the control somehow. He throws the Shroud across the room, where he lands head-first against a column, and light returns to the room – looking up, Moon Knight finds himself facing the weirdest bunch of people he has ever seen. 'Moon Knight... meet the Night Shift!' the Shroud utters.

Moon Knight thinks that the name “Night Shift” was a good name for this crew, as they looked like they had stepped out of somebody's nightmare. The team includes Gypsy Moth, the Brothers Grimm, Ticktock, Tatterdemalion, Needle, Digger, Dansen Macabre – and Werewolf – Moon Knight's buddy, Jack Russell, at the head of the pack. Moon Knight begins to regret coming here, but then the Shroud informs the Night Shift that Moon Knight has accounted for himself very well, and that there is no need for any further testing on their part. He tells his team that they may leave. 'I don't believe it! There's a full moon. Russell should be wilder than a bag of bobcats!' Moon Knight exclaims. Shroud explains that Russell is under the control of Dansen Macabre, and that her dance can be quite entrancing.

'You're saying Russell is your puppet? Then you used him to lure me here' Moon Knight exclaims. The Shroud assures Moon Knight that the Werewolf joined of his own free will, and that he is grateful that the Night Shift can keep his curse in check. Shroud adds that it was on Werewolf's suggestion that he decided to hold this initiation rite, and that Werewolf was right – the Moon Knight would make an excellent addition to the Night Shift. 'The obstacle course – our battle – it was all a test?' Moon Knight gasps. He is dumfounded, and listens as the Shroud reveals that his role as a crime-lord is an elaborate charade that he had devised to attack the underworld from within. It is the craziest story that Moon Knight had ever heard, but as the Shroud explains it to him, his sepulchral tone fades, and his voice goes up half an octave, he comes across so earnest. 'You're serious about this. You really want me to join!' Moon Knight exclaims, before informing the Shroud that he just joined the Avengers.

'Hawkeye's West Coast squad...yes, I know. They offered me membership once – but I turned them down' Moon Knight remarks, before telling Moon Knight that they are night people, the two of them, and that being an Avenger is a day job, and that Moon Knight is out of his element there. Moon Knight tells the Shroud that he cannot back out of the Avengers now, and points out that the Shroud's group is larger than the Avengers, so he doesn't need him. 'I was looking for someone to take my place as leader' the Shroud reveals. 'Ha! No thanks! Moon Knight laughs, before informing the Shroud that he had a purpose in coming here, to which the Shroud tells him that he knows, and has already put the word out on van Lunt through his people. Shroud assures Moon Knight that if van Lunt is anywhere in the Valley, he will find him within 24 hours, and once he has a fix on him, Moon Knight will be the first two know. 'You have the word of the Shroud!' the Shroud exclaims eerily. 'Uh... thanks!' Moon Knight replies, before the Shroud tells him that it is okay, and that he owes him one for tonight.

Moon Knight then climbs out a window, and grabs a rope connected to his aircraft that hovers nearby. Moon Knight clings to the rope and activates his 'copter's autopilot to take him out of there, making a mental note to check the Avengers files for everything they hold on the Shroud, as he isn't sure he buys the Shroud's story 100 percent. Moon Knight wonders if he is too old and cynical to believe anyone could be that big a boy scout – and maybe, just maybe – he doesn't trust someone who's even more a “creature of the night” than he is!