The Shadow [a marvel fanfiction]

Avengers: Chapter Eight

When the portal opened, all hell broke loose.

The Chitauri army flooded New York. The metallic soldiers screeched, waving energy rifles and spears and riding flying chariots. They were already tearing the city apart; buildings and bridges crumbled to the ground, abandoned and overturned cars littering the streets.

Marie stood next to Steve and stared down at the chaos with grim determination. Her life in the city wasn't glamourous. The people and the streets were horrible, the rats less than friendly and the smell disgusting, but it was her home. The doorways she slept in were covered in dust and debris. The convenience stores she stole from were gone. The bars that never asked questions were war zones.

"Stark, we're heading north east," Natasha said as Clint banked the quinjet around a building.

Tony snorted over the comms. "What, did you stop for drive thru? Swing up Park, I'm going to lay 'em out for you."

The roar of the jet's machine gun unleashing a hailstorm of bullets on the Chitauri rattled Marie's eardrums. Her sweaty hands gripped the safety handle above her tighter. She inhaled shakily and shut her eyes when the quinjet jerked again.

Her ears were ringing. She could see Clint shouting. The quinjet was spiraling out of control. They were crashing. Marie disappeared into the shadows as the quinjet slammed into the ground. Steve was roughly tossed around the jet and Natasha and Clint were nearly strangled by their seatbelts.

Time paused. Clint and Natasha looked at each other, breathing heavily. Steve peeled himself off the floor of the jet. Marie materialized, eyes wide.

"We-We definitely made an-an-an entrance."

Steve cracked his neck. "That's one way to put it."

A distant, inhuman screech echoed throughout the streets.

The four ran out of the jet and into the rubble of New York City. It was chaos. They ran around destroyed taxis and slabs of concrete, breathed in plumes of smoke and dust clouds and listened to the cacophony of sirens, screams, and—

"Is that-Is that a fish?"

A giant metal fish-looking creature flew over them. Its metal jaw opened and closed, emitting a deep, primal roar that rattled Marie's bones. Hundreds of Chitauri soldiers launched off it. They crashed into buildings and fired at fleeing civilians.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

They crouched behind an upturned taxi. Marie's heart dropped as Loki led a pack of Chitauri through the streets. Cars were blown to an oblivion. Explosions sent people and bodies flying.

She tried not to vomit. They weren't prepared for this. Six people against an alien army? "Super powers" could be thrown out the window. Nothing they could do or control stood a chance against this. Marie's hands were shaking. She swallowed her panic and looked at Steve.

He was in soldier mode. His eyes analyzed their surroundings and catalogued their resources and assessed the best course of action. This was a war. He could do this. Marie was staring at Captain America and it didn't feel so impossible. At least she could die fighting. That would be worth something.

"Those people need assistance down there," Steve said, looking under the overpass.

A group of Chitauri landed near them and shot blasts of energy at them. Natasha pulled out her two pistols. She returned fire and barely looked back at Steve.