Fire and Ice

•13•

When they reach the bank, Steve spots an open window. "I'm up top. You go in the front door after I've got 'em distracted."

Kate nods. "Got it."

She circles around the building, going to the front door, waiting until she hears commotion inside to open it. Except it won't open, tugging or pushing. They've locked it, and the civilians can't get over to fix that.

She tries to kick it in, but it won't budge, so she quickly starts melting the locks from the outside. In her ear, she hears Nat. "Hawkeye?"

"Nat, what are you doing?" Clint asks. It's hard to tell.

"Uh... a little help?!"

"I've got him."

After a few moments, Kate tries pushing the door again, and the door gives a little, but not enough. She looks up, notices a sign that says, 'pull,' and sighs, moving her hands long enough to do just that. It works.

"Everybody out!" she shouts, and the people waste no time in following her orders. She pushes through them, trying to find the stairs. Steve is fighting off multiple Chitauri at once, and it's not going so well. One has him in a chokehold and is ripping off his helmet. Mask? Both? Whatever.

A Chitauri spots Kate, and she spots it back just before it aims at her. Having no other option, she blasts it with fire, luckily with good aim. It drops the weapon as it falls, and Kate weaves through the remaining crowd to pick it up. In a moment, she figures out how to fire it and does so, hitting two from the ground floor, putting holes straight through them.

It's only after the civilians are totally gone that she hears the beeping. The last Chitauri chucks something a Steve, who grabs his shield and curls up behind it as he jumps out the window. The explosion is small, only destroying from the wall surrounding the window to the Chitauri who threw it.

Kate blasts the Chitauri and runs out, going back around the building to find Steve laying facedown on a crushed car. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he groans.

Kate grimaces. "Sorry. I never found the stairs." He struggles, but he gets up, the only damage Kate sees being a cut on his forehead.

"Let's get back."

They start walking back to where they were, taking out a few Chitauri soldiers on the way. Kate looks up, sees the portal still letting in soldier after soldier. Eel robot monsters still flying overhead. But where's the leader of this crap fest? That's who she came for. "Does anybody have eyes on Loki?"

"Haven't seen him since I shot him," Clint replies.

"He ended up at Stark Tower with me," Nat says. "Hulk showed up, but then he left. I haven't seen Loki since."

Kate grimaces. "That could be... a problem." Who knows what else he could be doing left unattended? She can't imagine things getting worse than this, but just when you think that, it always does.

Steve turns to her. "You need a lift?"

"I've trained with Nat, Steve, but I certainly can't do that," she replies, about to just run to Stark Tower and taking the stairs — if she can find those.

Then, Thor arrives. "And why aren't you two fighting?"

"I'm gonna go check on Loki in Stark Tower," Kate replies. "I just... don't have a ride."

"I can take you."

Kate swallows as he wraps an arm around her. "I'm gonna puke after this, aren't I?"

"I will be back, Captain," he says to Steve as he swings his hammer.

She salutes Steve. "Lots of luck to you and yours — crap, you wouldn't know that reference-"