SHIELD (A Captain America Story, Book 1 of the SHIELD Series) COMPLETE

Chapter 10: Under Fire

It had taken time to assemble the ground teams, too much time, and as Ava's jet landed they found the streets and skies were almost overrun.

"Agents, head out to the south sector," The pilot of the Quinjet commanded over their earpieces, "Keep the hostiles in check. Make sure none of them leave the established perimeter."

"On our way," another agent radioed back, then gestured for the agents in the jet to follow him as he jumped out of the hatch onto the pavement. The team included a dozen agents, plus Ava, and they were quick to follow, spreading out across the street as the Quinjet lifted off again.

"You heard Command," the lead agent told them all, adjusting his body armor, "Keep the hostiles here. Our priority is containment, engage only when necessary. We have no idea what these things are, what they want, or what they're capable of."

"Copy that," Ava radioed back among the chorus of fellow agents checking in. Her injured arm was bent at the elbow, secured and immobilized against her body which had earned her sideways looks from the other agents but no one had said anything. Not that Ava cared. What was really bothering her was the fact her busted arm meant she was unable to transform. If she tried, the bandages would fall off, the sutures would split, and she would be left in severe pain, completely defenseless or worse. Talk about working at half capacity.

"Charlie team, are you there?" another voice broke in over their radios, "This is Alpha team. Right now we're clear on 49th, but there's a chance that−" The rest of the agent's message was drowned out by a sudden loud crackle of interference and then an ominous silence. The agents exchanged glances and then began running, headed for their colleagues.

Ava found herself falling slightly behind, her sprinting hampered by the loss of her arm. She jumped a cement barrier to make up distance when she caught sight of two of the things – Chitauri, she remembered – standing on the front stoop of an old apartment building. They were tall and gangly, two-legged but bent at odd angles. Immediately Ava adjusted her course, now heading for the two creatures. As she ran she saw a woman across the street screaming, reaching toward the building as a harried-looking police officer yanked her backwards, pulling her out of the way of a series of blue blasts that shattered the pavement in front of them. The woman barely noticed, screaming desperately and struggling against the officer, "Alice! Alice!"

Ava looked back and saw what she hadn't before, the two monsters were standing over a little girl. The girl, presumably Alice, was crying as she covered her head with her hands. One of the aliens nudged the girl with his gun and before she'd even finished making a plan, Ava ran up behind the Chitauri and slammed into it, jamming her gun between panels of armor and firing into the back of its neck. The creature screeched violently and convulsed, streaks of blue electricity sparking along its body before it collapsed to the ground.

Ava had sent a second bullet into the other Chitauri before it even realized what had happened to its partner.

"Light!" someone yelled over the radio.

"Go, I've got this!" Ava called back. The little girl was frozen in fright on the steps and Ava grabbed her arm, but the girl shied away from her, screaming at something over her shoulder. Ava spun around and held up her gun in a blind defensive motion that barely stopped another Chitauri's spear-like weapon from impaling her in the chest. The alien's face was inches from hers, making Ava cringe as she pushed back against its weapon with her pistol. It was ugly, with glittering black eyes and a strange, beak-like mouth behind an armored, robotic-looking facemask. The creature opened its mouth and screeched, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. Ava pushed until her arm shook before she dropped, letting the Chitauri's own momentum send it flying past her with a screech. Ava shot it in the back of the neck while it was on the ground, and it moved no more.