Flicker ✦ STEVE ROGERS¹ [✓]

11 | TIME TO BE A HERO

THAT WAS WHEN THE NEXT WAVE WAS UPON THEM. It was like all the aliens had come out all at once - including more flying leviathans. Loki had called for reinforcements, and the Chitauri had responded by sending all of them.

"Come on, Kato," Steve said. "Let's go."

Kato nodded at him, turning and flying into the air. She sped past two Chitauri soldiers, grabbing them and throwing them clear across the city. Then, seeing a leviathan headed straight for a large building, she flew towards it and braced herself. When she reached it, she grabbed its jaw in her hands and tugged with all her strength, yanking the creature off course and away from the building. It roared in anger, but Kato wasted no time in lasering it right in its mouth, causing it to screech before it began to burn from the inside and toppled to the ground. Satisfied, Kato nodded once before flying off.

Returning to the street, Kato arrived just in time to see Natasha, using a stolen energy rifle, be taken off her feet by a Chitauri soldier. She retaliated by tiresomely cutting its throat. Then, she grabbed the energy rifle and spun around to attack, only to point it at Kato and Steve.

Natasha slumped back, tired. "Captain, none of this is gonna mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal."

Steve sighed, looking up at the portal. "Our biggest guns couldn't touch it."

Natasha followed his gaze. "Well, maybe it's not about guns." She gestured to the flying chariots.

Kato and Steve glanced at her, the both of them realizing her plan.

"You wanna get up there, you're gonna need a ride," Steve said.

Natasha rolled her eyes, backing up so she could give herself a running headstart. "I got a ride. I could use a boost, though."

Steve stepped back, lifting his shield and angling it in front of him. "Are you sure about this?"

Natasha nodded. "Yeah." She huffed. "It's gonna be fun."

With that, Natasha ran towards Steve. Using her feet, she ran up the side of a car, then jumped up onto Steve's shield. Steve thrust the shield upwards with great strength, and Natasha spun into the air before she grabbed onto a flying chariot and sped off.

Kato watched her go, shaking her head with a smile; clearly they had different definitions of fun. But her smile quickly faded when she realized the battle was far from over. So Kato returned to fighting, killing dozens of Chitauri soldiers as several humvees aimed their mounted .50 caliber guns into the sky, firing and hitting Chitauri riders. She was forced onto her back by a soldier, who snarled at her and jabbed its weapon at her throat. But Kato thrust the heel of her palm into it's chest just before the sharp end touched her, sending the alien flying before she leapt after it, landed hard on it, and lasered it right through the face.

"Guys, the bank on 42nd past Maddison," Clint suddenly said through comms. "They caught a lot of civilians there."

Kato took a deep breath. She was probably gonna regret this. "I'm on it," she told Steve.

She started to run off, but Steve grabbed her arm to stop her.

"You sure you can handle this on your own?" he asked.

Kato snorted. "You already know the answer to that question. So stop asking me that. The threat about that shield of yours still stands."

Steve met her eyes for a moment before nodding, letting go of her arm. And with that, Kato sprang into the air, flying through the city before smashing through the window and landing in the middle of the bank - right in front of a crowd of people. She made quick work of the armed Chitauri soldiers away, knocking them out, before turning to the people and saying, "Come on, we don't have much time!" The people there hesitated for a moment, but Kato assured them, "Don't worry, I'm here to help!" She gestured to the nearest opening and motioned for them to escape. "Run! Get out of here, now!"