Avengers (Charlotte Stark)

Ch. 10 Lets Do a Head Count

We let Steve in on what we figured out and we both go to suit up. We head to Clint's room where Nat is to let them know what's happening.

Steve and I walk in, in full uniform. Natasha looks at us, unprepared.

"Time to go." Steve says to her.

"Go where?" She asks.

"We'll tell you in the way." I say.

"Can you fly one of those jets?" Steve asks as Barton walks out of the restroom and looks to Cap and I.

"I can." I run up to him and give him a hug. He hugs me back. "Thanks for pulling me out."

"My pleasure." I say and Steve looks to Nat and I as if to ask if he's on our side now. We nod our heads.

"You got a suit?" He asks him.

"Yeah." Clint replies.

"Then suit up."

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In our suits, we make our way to the jet hangar. We walk up a ramp on a quinjet and a crew member stops us.

"You are not authorized to be here..."

"Son, just don't." Steve puts up his hands and pushes the guy off the jet.

We all fly off, Tony close behind in his suit. And we quickly make our way towards Stark Tower. When we arrive, I open the ramp and drop down to the penthouse floor, next to Tony. The others in the quinjet become occupied by the Chitauri coming out of the portal.

Tony walks through the gauntlet and it unsuits him. Loki looks up to us, smiling, and we proceed to walk inside. Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony and I casually walk down the steps, towards the bar.

"Please tell me you bath are her to appeal to my humanity." Loki says to us.

"Actually, we plan on threatening you." Tony says.

"You should have kept your suit in for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?" He asks both of us.

"I'll take one." I say and he gets another glass for me.

"Stalling me won't change anything."

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? We're having one." Tony proceeds to pour our drinks.

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers." I state plainly. Loki gives me a confused look. "It's what we call ourselves. Sorta like a team. Earths mightiest heroes, that type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them."

"Yeah, takes us awhile to get any traction, I'll give you that one." Tony says. Then I interrupt.

"Let's do a head count, shall we. You're brother, the demigod. My brother," I pat Tony on the back. "A living legend that kind of,  lives up to the legend. A super soldier, a couple master assassins, a man with breathtaking anger management issues. And you, big fella, have managed to piss off every single one of them." I raise my drink towards him and take a sip.

"That was the plan." Loki tells me.

"Not a great plan." I tell him.

"When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." Tony starts. Then I see from underneath the bar table, he pulls out a homing device bracelet. I smirk a little.

"I have an army."

"We have a hulk." I stare plainly. Tony and I then step down from the bar and start to walk closer to Loki.

"I thought the beast had wandered off."

"You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is not version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you." Tony starts. Then I cut in.

"Because if we can't protect the earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."

Loki slowly walks up to us, raising the scepter. "How will your friends have time for me, when they're too busy fighting you?"

Loki taps Tony on the chest with his scepter, but nothing happens. He tries again, still nothing. "This should work."

"Well, performance issues. You know?" I say shrugging my shoulders, then giving him a smirk.

Loki then reaches out for Tony's neck and flings him across the room. He crashes through the window and begins to fall. Then Loki turns towards me and tries to do the same thing, but I am much faster then he is.

"You'll have to try better then that. You see, unlike my brother, I was trained for this shit."

"Ah yes. The deadly assassin. Brainwashed, tortured, and forced into submission." Loki says to me as he takes a jab at me with his scepter. I dodge it by doing a back flip.

"You've really got me read like a book." Then one of Tony's suits flies throw the penthouse, then following Tony out the window. I take a killshot at Loki's throat and he falls to the ground out of breath. "Oh yeah, and there's one other person you pissed off."

"His name was Phil." Tony finishes for me as he flies up and rams into Loki. Tony and I stand next to each other and give each other a high five. Then Loki raises his staff at me, ready to fire. But Tony blasts him with his suit, sending Loki off on his ass.

Then we look out the window and see hundreds of Chitauri soldiers flying down from the portal.

"Right, army." He says and flies up and starts fighting them.

From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher pops up and fires. Like the Jericho missile, several targets are taken down. But, ultimately, we both see that it's useless. Thousands more Chitauri begin to fly out and Ironman flies towards me and takes me down to the ground of the city.

With the Chitauri unleashed, New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. I run and try to get everyone's attention.

"Go! Get out of the streets! Run! Go, get out of here!"

It doesn't work. Only a few actually listen to me, then some of the Chitauri start to blast down at all of us, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. Explosions rip out the windows of the top of corners on buildings. Flames and stones rain down to the streets, a domino effect of explosions, rippling on the streets.