Y/N ROGERS
Steve gave us his orders and we all exited the jet, hurrying to complete our duties. I was to help evacuate alongside Wanda, Pietro, Steve, and Clint. Tony was off to distract Ultron with Vision following in order to bar Ultron from the internet. Thor was heading under the city to see what Ultron had been working on, and Bruce was tasked with finding Natasha.
Red wisps trailed through the city, convincing the citizens of Sokovia to pack up and evacuate. Pietro was running around, helping get word across, while Steve and I worked at the bridge, encouraging the Sokovians to hurry.
As I waved a car across the bridge, I heard a cracking and then something grabbed my leg. I looked down at the metal hand wrapped around my ankle and I kicked out, breaking off the limb with the force. The robot pulled the rest of its body from the ground and I punched it with a power-wreathed fist, watching it shatter into parts.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the only one. Robots attacked the city from above and below, causing panic and fear to fester within the civilians. They ran to escape the robots, hiding wherever they were able to. I tried to help them as best I could, taking down bot after bot in an attempt to save them.
A rumbling began to sound, causing me to cast my gaze back to the bridge. Cracks began to appear in the road, stones and pieces of concrete beginning to fall through. Our side of the bridge began to rise, and I rushed over to Steve who stood at the edge, watching as the city began to fly.
"Do you see?" Ultron's voice rang from all around us. "The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."
Steve looked at me, genuine fear in his eyes. I could see the order forming in his eyes, the command for me to get out and to safety on the tip of his tongue, but I forcefully shook my head.
"I'm not leaving," I protested. Steve still looked determined to get me to safety, so I continued, "I can do this, Steve. You guys need me. Didn't Fury say I was a tide turner? I'm ready for this – I've been training my whole life for this."
Steve looked at me for a long moment before taking a deep breath. I heard something out of my ear and turned to face the edge of the city, spotting a bot barrelling for Steve, only metres away. I blasted it with my power, demolishing it with a single hit, and Steve raised his shield to protect himself from the parts that rained down.
"Cap, you got incoming," Tony warned through the comms.
"Incoming already came in," Steve panted. "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed... walk it off."
I rolled my eyes at the last statement, punching a robot in the head as it got too close. The fight between flesh and metal raged on, the robots pouring in like a river, relentless and never-ending.
"Y/n, I need your help," Clint grunted.
"On it," I replied, shooting a robot with my power as I flew up and up.
I spotted Clint in one of the smaller streets, fighting robot after robot all by himself. As I readied my power, the doors of one of the houses in front of me burst open, and Wanda walked out, determination evident in her scarlet eyes. She shot a ball of red magic at one of the robots, and the power clung to it before tearing it apart and launching its torso at another bot.
I grinned and launched into battle, taking down two robots as Wanda finished off the other three, decimating them with a single blast. She lowered her arm and turned to me, and I offered her an encouraging smile.
"That was badass," I stated, and she smiled at me hesitantly.
"Alright, we're all clear here," Clint said into the comms.
"We are not clear, we are very not clear," Steve called back.
"Alright, coming to you," Clint declared.
A second later a blue blur – Pietro – ran past, picking up Wanda on his way and yelling over his shoulder, "Keep up, old man!"
Clint glared in the direction of the twins before slowly raising his bow and pulling the arrow back.
"Nobody would know," he uttered. "Nobody."
I grinned at Clint before shooting off in the direction of Steve. After a moment I could still hear Clint speaking, and I realised his comms were still on.
"The last I saw him, Ultron was sitting on him," he muttered. "Uh...yeah, he'll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already."
"Hey, Clint," I began, trying to hold back a smile, "your comms are still on."
Pietro's laugh sounded through my earpiece, and I felt my tummy do a cartwheel. But I shook the feeling away and continued to fight, determined not to let Ultron win. Eventually it was just the civilians and Avengers in the city, with a few rogue robots. We tried to get the civilians to safety, but there wasn't really anywhere safe on a flying rock.
"The next wave's gonna hit any minute," Steve forewarned through the comms. "What have you got, Stark?"
"Well, nothing great," Tony sighed in response. "Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear."
"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan," Steve reminded him.
I flew into the air, searching for more civilians in the streets. They were all clear, so I found Steve and Natasha and landed beside them. They were staring out into the clouds, watching us rise and rise.
"Impact radius is getting bigger every second," Tony argued. "We're going to have to make a choice."
"Cap, these people are going nowhere," Natasha added gently. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock–"
Steve interrupted her. "Not 'til everyone's safe."
"Everyone up here versus everyone down there?" she emphasised. "There's no math there."
"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it," Steve insisted.
And I agreed. I wasn't going to leave anyone behind. I would fly them all to safety, if I had to. They could all get into a bus and I'd fly it down to the ground and away from all of the falling debris.
"I didn't say we should leave," Natasha said, and Steve and I turned to look at her. She simply shrugged. "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"
It was a beautiful view. The clouds were below us now, creating a fluffy layer between us and the ground. It felt almost peaceful up here, with the wind lightly blowing against my face, and the sun shining brightly. I wouldn't mind if this was the last view I saw, especially if I was surrounded by my family when the end came.
"Glad you like the view, Romanoff," a familiar voice crackled over the radio. "It's about to get better."
Out from the clouds rose a Helicarrier, parting the haze like water. It was big, bigger than any flying machine I'd ever seen. My jaw dropped at the sight of it, and my chest filled with a surge of hope.
"Nice, right?" Fury commented. "I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."
Steve let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "Fury, you son of a bitch."
"Ooh-hoo! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fury joked.
A moment later, lifeboats began to exit the Helicarrier and head towards the city. Pietro appeared beside me, staring out and at the boats. His gaze held wonder, and it made me smile a little bit.
"This is Shield?" he asked.
"This is what Shield's supposed to be," Steve answered.
Pietro turned back to look at him and Natasha, before turning his gaze to me. He smiled slightly and let out a breathy chuckle, before looking back out and deciding, "This is not so bad."
"Let's load 'em up," Steve ordered.
I nodded and ran to the closest building with people inside, while Steve ran to the nearest lifeboat. I began leading the people out of their hiding place and to safety, making sure that nobody ran off course in the commotion.
"Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier," Tony commanded through the comms. "Avengers, time to work for a living."
After making sure the rest of the civilians got on the boat, I shot into the sky, searching for Tony. I saw commotion in the church so I flew over, landing on top of a robot and taking it down. Vision, Thor, Tony, and Pietro were already there, fighting against the Ultron bots. I took a few down with them, and Steve entered, defeating the last one. Wanda and Clint entered next, and Pietro ran over to make sure his sister was okay.
"Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing Hide-The-Zucchini," Stark warned.
"Relax, Shellhead," Nat scoffed. "Not all of us can fly."
A clanging sound rang closer and closer, and I looked out of the church to see a bulldozer driving towards us, crumpling robots beneath it. The vehicle stopped in front of the church and Natasha got out of it, jogging over to where we all stood in front of the core.
"What's the drill?" Natasha asked.
"This is the drill," Tony answered, pointing to the core. "If Ultron gets a hand on it, we lose."
More robots began to advance on us, but Hulk landed on one and shattered the others into shards of metal. As Hulk came to stand by us, Ultron descended from the sky, floating above as a few more robots came hurtling towards us. It was a small amount, maybe twenty at the most, and Thor scoffed.
"Is that the best you can do?" he bellowed, throwing his arms out wide.
Ultron raised a metal hand, and suddenly hundreds of robots were running towards us, the sounds of their footsteps ringing in my ears.
"You had to ask," Steve quipped, side eyeing Thor.
"This is the best I can do," Ultron answered. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"
"Well," Tony sighed, "like the old man said." Steve turned to face him, and Tony faced Ultron. "Together."
Hulk let out a battle cry, and just like that the robots came hurtling towards us. Some entered through the openings on the ground, while others climbed the walls and entered from above. The ten of us circled the core and attacked the bots.
Steve used his shield to attack them, hitting them with the flat part as well as the edges, effectively cutting into them. Tony blasted a few and used his lasers, while Natasha and Clint shot at the enemy, using their guns and bow, respectively. Thor used his hammer to destroy the bots, throwing it at them and then using his fists and kicks to take them down. Hulk was taking out at least four robots every hit, using his big arms and swinging them around. Wanda blasted them with her power, sometimes getting two or more and using her power to crush them. Vision flew in the air, taking care of the robots attacking from above. Pietro was a blur as he ran in and out of the church, leaving destruction and robotic parts behind.
I blasted as many robots as I could, taking care to watch out for my teammates and the core. Robot parts rained down on us all as we fought, only spurring us on as we relished in the endings of our enemies. We all worked in sync as we fought; Thor threw his hammer at a robot that had grabbed Steve's shield; Vision blasted a robot attacking Tony's unprotected back; Pietro ran through everything, disabling robots before they could get to anyone.
Ultron began to attack Vision, who blasted him with a laser from the stone in his head. Thor turned his head and followed, as did Tony, and I walked up beside them. Thor added his lightning against Ultron, and Tony his laser beams, so I built up my power and blasted it at Ultron. When it collided with him there was a loud explosion of power, and I threw my arms up to shield my face.
As I lowered my arms and looked back at Ultron, all that was left was his disfigured head, the light in his eyes dark. The other robots began to run, trying to flee the flying city.
"They'll try to leave the city," Thor yelled.
"We can't let 'em, not even one," Tony agreed. "Rhodey!"
Rhodes's voice came in through the comms. "I'm on it."
"We've gotta move out," Steve directed. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. I'll be right behind you."
"What about the core?" Clint queried.
There was a moment of silence before Wanda decided, "I'll protect it." After a quick look from Clint, she added, "It's my job."
Clint nodded and looked at Natasha before the two of them jogged off. Steve looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I ran over and gave him a tight hug, surprising him a bit.
"If you don't get on a boat in time, I'll kill you," I warned before letting him go.
Steve smiled and ruffled my hair. "Same goes for you, kid."
He nodded once more and jogged off, and I offered Wanda an encouraging smile before shooting off into the sky. I landed beside Clint and Natasha's borrowed car as they got out, and Clint and I followed Nat's instructions and got our asses on a boat.
"Costel," I heard a woman cry. "We were in the market. Costel?!"
I turned my head, looking out, when I saw a young boy struggling to get out of a hole. I muttered a 'be right back' to Clint and rushed over to the kid, dropping down on my knees in order to pull him up.
"Hey, buddy," I soothed. "Let's get you on a boat, yeah?"
The kid nodded and I picked him up, cradling him to my body. I turned, intending to head over to the boat, when a rouge Ultron bot landed in front of me, arm raised and ready to shoot. I didn't have enough time to drop the child and use my power, so I turned my body instead, and braced for impact.
It never came. I turned around slowly, and saw a panting Pietro in front of me, and robot parts scattered across the ground. Pietro had run directly into it, causing it to burst into parts.
"You're welcome, Princessa," he grinned, throwing a wink my way before inclining his head.
I jogged over to the boat and set Costel down in front of the mother, who cried with joy and kissed his head, thanking me over and over. I waved her thanks away, and turned to face Pietro and Clint.
"Can I go and get Wanda now?" Pietro asked, surveying the plain. "I think everyone is on the boats."
"You're hurt," I said suddenly, looking at Pietro's arm.
Blood trickled from a bullet wound in his bicep, and he shrugged. "I have survived worse."
I tutted and gently pulled his arm towards me, feeling the healing power take over. It felt different this time, like I had control over it. The soft, delicate side of me was out in the open now, wanting to help and heal. It was easy to allow the magic to stitch Pietro's wound back together, a golden glow emanating from my hands as I worked.
"Thank you, Princessa," Pietro murmured.
"No worries," I replied.
"I think there's someone still here," Wanda advised. "I will go and help them before I get on a boat."
"Wanda, I think I should come and get you both," Pietro argued.
"No, Pietro, it's fine," Wanda countered. "They're just here – oh, no."
"What's wrong?" Pietro asked frantically.
"It's a trap!" Wanda called. "It was a bot, I have to get back to the core–"
Before anyone could do anything, the sound of powering down rang through our ears, and the city began to drop. Steve leaped up and was able to get onto the boat, and I pulled him away from the edge.
"WANDA!" Pietro bellowed, looking like he was about to jump off the boat to go after her.
After a moment's hesitation, I jumped off the boat myself, hearing the others call out for me. I ignored them as I flew down and underneath the city, and braced myself as it came hurtling before me. It barrelled into me and I was knocked downwards, but I pushed against it, using my arms and body to slow its descent.
"Y/n, what are you doing here?!" Tony exclaimed as he flew beside me.
"I'm helping," I grunted.
I pushed against the city as hard as I could, my power flaring around me, and it began to slow even further, until it stopped moving altogether, just floating in the sky. The pressure against me was intense, and I groaned in frustration.
"Just turn off these thrusters, and I'll lower the city," I told Tony.
He hesitated for just a moment before doing as I said, creating a hole in the bottom of the city and entering it. I fought against the force of the city pushing down on me, feeling sweat begin to slide down my neck. It felt like a crushing, never-ending weight, but one I had to hold. People were talking in the comms, but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. I heard Steve's voice – it was frantic, but none of his words registered in my mind.
Slowly, the city became easier to hold. Not easy, but it became a bit lighter as the thrusters turned off. Tony exited the hole and I nodded in confirmation, resulting in him flying away so that I could lower the city. It was easier to fly downwards while keeping a hold on the city, and eventually I reached the crater in the ground. As I lowered myself and the city into it, darkness flooded in, the only light being that of my power. I entered the hole Tony made as I let the city settle in the ground, and I found a caved-in tunnel. I blasted it with my power, revealing a long passageway...
But I was so, so tired. Maybe I could... maybe I could close my eyes, for just a second...
WORDS: 3.1K
NOTES: lol