Mission: REDACTED

Location: REDACTED

It was the dead of night and Agent Higgs moved like a shadow across the ground, soundless and predatory like a big cat on the prowl. Moving atop the rooftops, people were oblivious to what was about to happen.

Finding a perch upon a lip of an apartment, Higgs stood, drawing two pistols from his thighs, pressing hidden buttons on the side. The weapons whirled softly and shifted, allowing him to connect them into what appeared to be a sniper rifle. Kneeling, Higgs took aim at the opposite building. Through his scope, he aligned his crosshairs on the head of an older, balding man. He turned the dial and shifted his attention to a younger, well-dressed man before moving to the briefcase between the two that sat in the center of the table.

:: Remember your mission, Higgs?

A calm, collected voice filled his ear from the comms piece. Higgs growled lowly under his breath but kept his composure. He shifted and eased his finger back on the trigger when he suddenly stopped. A woman stepped into view and Higgs had no choice but to halt his shot. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted his scope, IDing the woman as his target. Agent Ruiz.

:: Target sighted.

:: We need her alive, Higgs.

"Fine." Withdrawing his rifle, Higgs disassembled his rifle and returned the guns back to his holsters. Taking a deep breath, he vanished.

~~o0o~~

Inside the building, the balding man pulled the briefcase towards him. "So, this contains some of SHIELD's secrets?" He was about to open it when Agent Ruiz placed her hand on the top. She nodded, sending her raven black curls forward. She released the briefcase and he was able to open it. Inside was a small flash drive encased in a foam lining. He reached in and removed the device. "How did you manage to pull this off?"

"Very carefully," The woman smiled, "No one knew I was able to snatch these files. It was what I managed to gather without getting caught or anyone getting suspicious.. Not even Fury's Lap Dogs are safe."

"'Lap dogs'? You mean-"

"The Man with the Gold Mask, as well as Agent Natasha Romanoff. Their files were a little harder to secure, but I managed it. But most of it is- redacted." Agent Ruiz sighed, "I was also able to get-"

The balding man was no longer listening as he retrieved his laptop from the side of his desk. He inserted the flash drive in and got the green light when the screen read 'DOWNLOADING'. He clapped his hands in joy, snapping his fingers.

Behind him, one of his men stepped forward and set a duffle bag on the table. The bald man stood up and unzipped the bag. Bundles of cash filled the canvas and the woman smiled widely. She grabbed a bundle of money and rubbed her fingers along the hundred of hundred dollar bills. "Pleasure doing business with you, Delgado."

"The pleasure was mine, Ms. Ruiz." With a snap of her fingers, the businessman beside her swiftly zipped up the duffle bag while she clung to her current stack of cash.

Perched on top of the room's rafters, Agent Higgs released his now deceased captive and watched it fall. The body landed on the table, shattering it. The three of them gasped and looked around but didn't bother to look up. Higgs vanished from the room as the balding man sent his men out.

"Shit! He's here!" Ms. Ruiz hissed, drawing a pistol from a holster hidden under her dress. "How did they find us?!"

From the hallway that led into the room, men's muffled shouts bellowed while the sound of gunfire filled the air. Ms. Ruiz and her partner grabbed hands and hurried behind a crate while the Balding man snatched up a walkie talkie. :: Find this pendejo! I want him alive!

Automatic rifles went off but quickly stopped firing. Watching the doors fly open, a bloodied body fell through and a figure standing over him. Holding up a single finger to his mouth, Agent Higgs vanished as the balding man fired into the plume of black and orange shadows and ash.

"Who is this guy?!" The businessman asked, ducking down. "SHIELD's-"

"As I said, he is Fury's lap dog!" looked around, peering around. "There is no killing him! We have to get out of here!"

The man in the suit nodded and stood up, armed with a pistol and held out a hand to . She took it and stood up while the Balding Man looked around. Everything was silent now. No shouts. No gunfire. Nothing.

The three of them huddled together, weapons at the ready. They moved like sheep in a small herd as Higgs prowled like a wolf, watching them. He studied them each while they walked towards the door. Vanishing from his perch, Higgs surprised the Businessman first, kicking him in the knee with a loud crack. He screamed in pain and the two others fired at air once again.

The Balding Man was next, receiving a punch to his gut just under the ribs then an elbow to the base of his skull. He fell to the ground in a heap of dead weight. Ms. Ruiz was the last one standing when Higgs reappeared, driving a knee into her stomach and the butt of his pistols to her head.

Landing on the ground, Ms. Ruiz lost consciousness within seconds. Higgs aimed his gun at the businessman and the balding man, letting out two shots. He turned his attention to the laptop with the USB Drive and easily destroyed the computer with more rounds from his gun.

:: HIGGS, report?

Agent Higgs didn't respond right away as he crushed the USB in his grasp, staring down at the rogue agent. He clenched his fists tighter and drew his gun, firing one final bullet.

:: HIGGS?

:: Agent Ruiz is no more.

The voice on the other end of the comms cleared their throat but said nothing about what they had just heard. :: Report back to base. Fury's got another assignment for you.