Line of Fire

2x10; what they become [pt. 2]

"-the hell are you doing, Belknap?" Aiden shouted.

Unbeknownst to him, the other agent had managed to slip out of the workstation with him once the commotion started. Aiden was only aware of Belknap's escape when the latter locked the door to the room and the basement was filled with the sound of metal grating against cement. He'd turned, only for Belknap to grab something out of his hand.

His detonator.

Before Belknap knew it, Crossfire himself was yelling at him. The younger agent flinched back, glancing between the detonator and Aiden. Never once had he seen Aiden get like this - much less seen him act anything but generally mischievous. This nearly bordered on anger. Actually, it was more like he was still deciding whether or not to be angry.

That stare was was hard to keep for very long and Belknap instead looked down, prepping the detonator. "Just taking care of that SHIELD agent," He answered, congratulating himself on how unaffected his voice was by his fear. "I mean, I just figured - 'cause I saw you drop that charge - why not put it to use?"

"And shut down the drill?" Aiden raised a single eyebrow and somehow, it was one of the most frightening things Belknap had ever seen. "That was to destroy any evidence for later!"

"Come on, Agent Salomon." The bravado was getting to him. "We've already made it to the city, we don't need it anymore." And then he pressed the button.

Aiden let out a sound, reaching for the detonator, but it was already too late. He swore could hear the beeping, even through the ballistic glass, though he knew it was all in his head. What wasn't in his head was Mara, his partner from long ago, and the look in her eyes as the countdown continued. He couldn't turn away from her and that fiery look she was giving him.

Then, all too suddenly, the charge went off. The sound was greatly muffled by the heavy-duty glass, but the door was nearly blown off. Belknap jumped back, but Aiden hardly flinched. It wasn't just the fact that he was an explosives expert, either. He stood rooted to the floor, keeping his eyes on the workstation.

The echoes were beginning to fade from the room, but smoke continued to pour from the cracks in the glass. It seemed like an endless stream; no matter how much smoke came out, the station was still filled with more.

Rounding on Belknap, Aiden just about yelled yelled, "Our teammates were still in there!"

Belknap just barked a single mirthful laugh. "Collateral damage," He shrugged, tossing the detonator back to Aiden. "Besides, we took out that SHIELD girl, right?"

Suddenly, the workstation door flew open, hinges breaking apart. Before Belknap could fully react, a knife sailed across the basement, lodging itself in his chest. As he sank to the floor, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

In his fading field of view was a figure stepping out from the smoke. Her skin was practically translucent, something glowing red hot under it's surface. It almost looked like a web of fire, Belknap realized. Her eyes were the same amber color as her veins, lighting up the dim basement.

"Please," She said, her voice a slow and dangerous drawl. "It'll take a bit more than that to kill me."

"Long time no see, Crossfire," Aiden smirked. His foot turned inwards slightly, bracing for what was sure to follow.

"Don't," Mara warned, keeping her eyes on her former partner. She reached up to her shoulder to grab a scrap of burning fabric - what was left of her leather jacket - and threw it to the ground. Underneath, she wore her tactical suit; a matching black EVS top and pants with kevlar mesh in between. "Don't call me that."