We Rise, Only To Fall / Steve Rogers

21

Steve offered me his hand but I ignored it, running and jumping over the edge of the bridge and on to the top of the truck, Steve barely a second behind me. We landed with a clang and rolled slightly. We rolled to the back and climbed down to the doors. 

We heard a shout from inside. "Leave me ALONE!" A red blast shot the left door open, swinging Steve into the side of the truck but he pushed back. I just about had time to duck away to the right hand side of the truck, clinging on to whatever I could as the entire back doors were blasted off, Steve lifting and landing on top of them, dragging onto the road. I yelped a little, worried he'd fall off into traffic behind us. 

"Well, he's definitely unhappy!" Steve yelled. "I'm gonna try and keep him that way." 

"You're not a match for him, Cap," Clint said. "Not even with Rosie."

"Thanks, Barton," Steve replied sarcastically. He looked at me and, given the situation, I finally met his eye. He nodded at me and I nodded back. 

As Steve rode on the remnants of the door on the side of the truck, I breathed deeply and then turned inside, firing a shot or two at whatever bots I could. They missed, ricocheting off the metal sides. I turned back before Ultron saw me, but I heard him disconnect himself from the Cradle. As Steve managed to haul himself to the edge of the truck, Ultron sent off a pulse that blew the doors off and Steve with it, flying back onto a car behind and cracking the windshield.

I clamped my mouth shut. I had to be quiet, not let Ultron know I'm there. Not yet. I clung tighter to the edge of the door and watched as Steve jumped cars to the top of the truck. "You know what's in that cradle?" Ultron asked him. 

I peeked my head in, unnoticed by the other bots. The sheer energy that came from it. . .I could feel it, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, beyond science and technology I had seen and done with Tony and Bruce. I heard the familiar clank of Ultron's beam against Steve's shield. "The power to make real change. And that terrifies you." 

If I could just damage this enough. . .

"I wouldn't call it a comfort." Steve replied. I heard repeated hits, the pair of them fighting on top of the truck. 

I fired another three shots, this time with more accuracy: I hit one of the bots in the neck and head and it collapsed, sliding on to the floor. There were a few more bots, but only one was scraped by the third bullet. They turned their heads but didn't see me, having returned to my position. This was it, slow and precise shots.

"Stop it." Ultron said, and I saw Steve's shield bouncing on the round. 

"Shit." 

I heard banging and imagined Steve rolling off onto the front of the truck. "Got a window. Four, three. . . give him hell." I heard Clint say and knew Nat was on her way down. Good. 

Another turn. Another several shots. This time, one was ready, watching me. It lifted an arm and fired; I ducked just in time to let it pass over my head. It walked slowly towards me as I hung on for dear life with one hand.

"I'm always picking up after you boys." Nat said and as I ducked to miss another shot I saw her weaving her way through traffic behind us, picking up Steve's shield.

"They're heading under the overpass. I've got no shot." Clint told us.

"Which way?" Nat asked. 

"Hard right. . .Now." 

Nat disappeared. I turned back to the bot and crouched, lunging for its legs and tackling it. Two more turned and lifted their arms, blasts ready to fire. "Uh, Nat..." I said warningly.