Double Agent

Chapter 10

Sat in the chair on the patio of the small cafe, Maura enjoyed the sounds of the small town around her as she read her book. Hearing the chair across the table from her move, she didn't need to lift her eyes.

"I'm surprised it was you who made the trip, sir. But everything is ready. We will have the briefing later this morning, and then the five of us will be making our way to the location as planned."

"Good. Everything is set, and everything is in place," Malick replied. "Once you have neutralized the Avengers, and rejoined our ranks, we can move forward with our work."

"Yes, sir, " Maura acknowledged.

Nodding, Malick stood, and looked at her, trying to hide his concern, "Are you sure you can do this, Raven?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, finally looking up from her book. "I will not let you down. You don't have to worry about me," she replied.

"I never have," Malik said, then turned to walk down the sidewalk the same way he had appeared.

"There is one thing, though, sir," she called after him, causing him to turn and face her again briefly. "I promised someone I would not hurt or kill any of the team; I need to know that promise will be kept."

The man didn't respond. Instead, he just turned to walk away.

"I gave my word, sir," she called after him. "I gave my word. Please...make sure I can keep it. "

Maura knew she wouldn't get a straight answer; the best she could do was hope.

Maura picked up her things, paid her bill, and drove back to the tower. Once she was changed and ready, she met the rest of the team in the briefing room and they all went over the details one final time. Everyone had their jobs, so they loaded into the quinjet that was waiting, and took off.

It was supposed to be a simple job. Both the US government and Hydra had seemingly abandoned the base. All they needed to do was go in, pull the information from the systems, and destroy everything remaining. Since it was a quick task, but a large building, only five of the team members went along; Maura, Steve, Tony, Natasha, and Clint.

They quickly found their way to the main system room. Half an hour later, they were almost finished with the transfer of files. They were all focused on their tasks of setting up the explosives and the electronic transfers, that they didn't notice the doors behind them slide open, nor the men that were beginning to surround them. When the lights above them began to flicker, they turned around and were quickly greeted by a large group of Hydra agents.

Steve and Tony tried to fight the men off, but they were outnumbered. Clint and Natasha did their best to help out, but there were just too many of them.

Maura didn't engage much. The men that came at her, she could neutralize easily enough, but she didn't approach any of the agents. She just stood and watched as they went after the four Avenger team members, her back to the wall, and arms at her sides, giving her a clear view of all the commotion around her.

The agents quickly outnumbered the team. Clint was knocked to the ground and stabbed in the shoulder by an agent. He would be okay, but he wouldn't be using his arrows any time soon. Natasha was next to go down. A Hydra agent approached her from behind, knocking her unconscious while she focused on the enemy in front of her.

Steve was simply outnumbered; even a super-soldier could only do so much with nothing more than a shield. He was knocked to the ground, visibly out of breath and exhausted, struggling to get back to his feet. Tony was the only one posing a real challenge, thanks to his suit.

"Right. Enough of this game." Maura finally stepped in, putting an energy field around her brother and effectively stopping him from being able to fight back. "Listen, Tin Man. I don't have time for these little games. Dorthy and Robin Hood are down for the count, and your ultimate frisbee airbender over there," she nods towards Steve, who was still on the ground, "Seems awfully worn out himself. And I know you wouldn't hurt your beloved sister after finally getting her back, now would you?"

"What-what are you doing?" Steve was visibly confused, looking up at her from his crouched position on the floor, trying to catch his breath after the battle that had just ensued.

"I'm doing what needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less." Standing mere feet from where he sat, her face finally visible.

"We trusted you..." his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't pull that righteous shit now, Rogers. You should know better than anyone that once Hydra has its claws into you, it's not exactly a cakewalk to get free." She lowered Tony to the ground and removed the field that had encased him. "Take the two of them, and go. Please." She sighed as she turned her back to them and began walking out of the room. "I'm sorry," she spoke over her shoulder.

"We thought you were one of us! One of the good guys." Tony opened his mask, wanting to look his sister in the eye, "What about the family! Huh? What about all the shit you said about finally being home? What about Morgan?!" he yelled after her.

"Don't." Maura growled, spinning back around and flying to stand nose to nose with her brother, "Don't you dare bring family into this. Where was our family when I needed them? Where were they when the enemy took me? Where were they when I was alone, scared, and dying?!"

"So, what? Becoming the villain of the Stark legacy was your brilliant idea to get back at us? At me?" Tony growled.

"No, Tony. Despite what you seem to think, I am not the bad guy in our family's story. I am the wronged; I am the forgotten; I am the one who paid the price for our father's greed and stupidity. While you got everything you ever wanted out of life, I got a family who didn't care if I survived or not. I am not an heir to a legacy; I'm the black mark of that legacy, one they tried to erase for good."

Maura turned and walked toward the door yet again, stopping only long enough to leave her brother with one last piece of knowledge, "Just because I'm the current villain in your story, Tony, doesn't mean I'm the bad guy in the final picture."