Line of Fire

2x09; ...ye who enter here

"What, I don't get a greeting?" Aiden asked before suddenly leaning forward and throwing Mara over his shoulder.

To stop herself from hitting the ground, Mara planted her feet as she was thrown, using the momentum of the swing to pull the same move on Aiden. He landed in front of her, coughing, but still smiling.

"Well, I would have,," Mara replied, leaning in close. "But you threw a grenade at me. You call that a greeting?"

When Mara went for a kick to the face, Aiden blocked her again, throwing her back as he stood. They parried blows quickly, neither one landing a definitive hit until Mara dodged under one of Aiden's punches. As she was spinning back around to face him, she managed to hit him squarely in the chest with a kick. The force of the blow sent Aiden flying backwards with enough strength to break through the door behind him.

Mara didn't give him time to react, following after Aiden and striking out at him once more. The pair were practically dancing now. They were too evenly matched for there to be a clear victor at any point in time. And the fact that they had known each other so well only served to bring them closer to the same level. Any attack Aiden threw at her, Mara could see coming from a mile away. However, that meant the same thing for her of him.

That is, until Mara knocked Aiden off balance and knocked him to his knees. While she could, she quickly drew her gun and pointed it at his head. They were both silent for several long moments, the only thing coming from their mouths, their labored breaths.

"Not gonna pull the trigger?" Aiden asked, looking calmly from the barrel to Mara's face. "Not that I'm suggesting it, I just think now would be a good chance."

"Why?" Mara asked, completely dismissing Aiden's comments. When he asked what she meant, Mara spat out, "Joining Hydra. Why, Aiden?"

"I get to keep a few secrets, don't I?" Aiden grinned. "I like to think it gives me some intrigue."

"Nice to see you haven't changed since I saw you last," Mara rolled her eyes. Then, more quietly, she added, "Were you Hydra this whole time? When we were partners-"

"No," Aiden shook his head. His response was far too immediate to have been a lie and the look in his eyes was so earnest. "This is a...recent development." There was another pause and the longer it went on, the wider Aiden's smirk grew. "Go on, ask it. I know you're curious."

"Crossfire," Mara said said the word like it was the most vile curse she could think of. "What made you-"

Suddenly, a voice spoke up in her earpiece, cutting across her train of thought. "Mara? Mara are you there?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Mara asked, pressing her earpiece in order to hear it better.

"Thank, god, you're alive." Mara swore she could hear Hunter sigh in relief. "Agent 33's been taken care of and Raina's safely in our custody. You better head out now if you can make it. May's bringing the wheels 'round."

"Be there in five," Mara responded. When she finally looked back at Aiden, she spotted a device in his hands and immediately trained her gun on him once more. "What is that?"

"Don't worry, it's only a communicator," Aiden shrugged. He stared Mara in the eye and grinned. "Called in Hydra reinforcements. If you're thinking of doing that, I'd suggest doing it now while you still have time."

This is it, Mara thought, gripping the cold metal tighter. But suddenly, it was becoming too heavy for her to even hold properly. Her hand shook and she couldn't even make it to the safety before dropping the weapon entirely.

"You spared my life the last time," Mara explained, her expression grim. She reholstered her weapon, taking a few steps back. "Consider this me repaying the debt."

The last thing she saw before she ran from the room was Aiden's nod back to her. It was the most serious expression Mara had seen on his face in a long time.

~x~

"How'd you make out?" Hunter asked as Mara helped press an alcohol swab to a cut on Skye's brow.

"Better than you, apparently," Mara murmured just loud enough for him to hear. She shot a look at Hunter's injured arm and raised an eyebrow. When she did, though, she accidentally pressed to hard on Skye's wound and the younger agent let out a hiss. "Oh, sorry there."

"Yeah, how did you do that exactly?" Hunter narrowed his brows at her. "You just went toe-to-toe with one of our deadliest agents and you're completely unscathed."

"I told you. I knew Aiden, so this isn't the first time we've fought," Mara shrugged.

Hunter shook his head. "But this is Crossfire we're talking about here. Agent Salomon? I know you've heard the stories too."

"Okay, okay," Skye cut in. "Everyone keeps talking about this guy, but what's the deal with him. I mean, I know he has a codename, but what did he do to earn it?"

"How long have you been in SHIELD, Skye? A year?" Mara guessed and Skye nodded. "Then he was just before your time, I think."

"The guy was a good black ops agent, but good black ops agents don't make for great people," Hunter explained, picking up where Mara left off. "Bloke came out of nowhere and started climbing the ranks at mach speed. Any mission given by SHIELD's dark side, chances are he was on it. Last I heard, there were at least thirty assassinations credited to his name, but for all I know, that's just a rumor too."

"Then what happened to him?" Skye made a face, pursing her lips together.

"Disappeared," Mara answered. "About a year ago. No one knows what happened. Everyone thought Crossfire was dead."

"Yeah, until he joined Hydra," Hunter scoffed, rolling his eyes. He hopped off the medical bench, trotting over to the pair. "Between you and me, I'm not all that surprised. Like I said, I don't think he wasn't a nice guy to begin with."

"What makes you say that?" Mara asked.

"Have you seen the scenes he leaves behind?" Skye shook her head and Mara nodded solemnly. "I mean, I know I said I wanted to work with him sometime, but that guy's like a walking nightmare. No one that brutal can be pleasant by any standard." Hunter just raised his eyebrows like that was answer enough. "And, I mean, Salomon was on his way to becoming the next Cavalry, but it looks like he fancied the destruction a little too much." He stepped back, raising his hands. "You know why they call him Crossfire, don't you?"

"No," Mara shook her head, an ever-deepening frown on her face. "Why?"

Hunter scoffed, heading towards the front of the Bus. "Because you don't want to get in his way."