The Makeshift Base

Kate sighed, squatting down by the door. She knew she'd have to muster up the courage for what she was about to do, and did her best to build up confidence as she shivered in the cold. No matter how much she despised it, she was going to have to make her way two miles south, in the crowded streets of New York City.

Peering around the apartment building to see if the coast is clear, Kate took at least some solace that the sidewalks were relatively empty. The streets were packed, however, and getting through unnoticed would be a challenge. That was the least of her worries, however. Getting to the apartment meant cutting straight through Central Park.

Cursing herself, she threw her arms around her private areas and began running down the sidewalk, immediately greeted by a barrage of honking cars. She did her best to ignore them as she passed each intersection, a tear managing to escape as she jogged down. The worst had yet to come.

Kate made her way to the entrance to Central Park. Already she had eyes on her from people walking their dogs, holding shopping bags, taking their kids out. Everyone in Central Park slowly turned their eyes to the world's greatest archer sprinting through the park completely naked. Kate had given up. It was hopeless to try and avoid getting seen, it would only make her situation more pathetic. She fought back a sob as she let her arms drop to her sides, pumping violently as she ran at full speed through the park. The tears in her eyes blocked her vision, causing her to run into a couple walking. Knocked to the ground, Kate instinctively got back up to check on them, only for the couple to run off with hushed whispers. She pouted, and continued her run.

Slowly, it became a blur, whether it was the rush of adrenaline, the weather getting to her, or a mix of both. She wasn't fully aware of where she was going, only that she wanted out. Finally, she saw the door to the apartment she and Clint had been using. Reaching up to press the buzzer, her arm felt much heavier than normal, strenuously lifting it up. As she looked for the button, it became harder and harder to read the numbers. Kate felt dizzy, her legs going numb from cold. Her body began swaying. She felt herself fall, but never felt the ground.

Everything went black.