Run to You|Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Twenty-Five

Instinct set in. Ira threw up a shield, protecting herself and her teammates from the powerful guns. Wanda did the same, and red and blue energy mingled to form a protective barrier from the blasts. The guns deflected off the shield, and some didn't even hit it. They struck the ground next to it, creating craters in the already pock-marked land.

But Ira could feel herself struggling to keep the shield up, and looking over at Wanda, she could see the brunette struggling as well. She gritted her teeth, and tried to keep the shield up. But she soon realized that it was no use. "Get ready," she warned her teammates as the protective barrier flickered. Meanwhile, the guns continued, firing missiles into the ground. "Now!" She yelled. She and Wanda dropped the shield, and everyone dove out of the way. They ducked behind a mound of dirt and rubble created by the missiles, panting heavily after their close-call.

"Why did he stop shooting at us?" Wanda questioned.

"Lenerick's a showman," Tony explained. "He'll want us out in the open so he can publicly beat us."

"So why don't we just destroy the ship with him in it?" Pietro asked. "Wouldn't that be easier?"

Ira shook her head. "It can't be that simple, can it?"

"Let's find out," Natasha said. She stood up, and peered over the top of the mound. She raised one of her guns, and shot three times, hitting the ship square in the center. But the bullets didn't penetrate the sides. In fact, they struck an invisible force and fell harmlessly to the ground. Natasha ducked back behind the pile, her red hair flying as she knelt back down. "There's some kind of shield," she told them. "We can't get through."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, scan the ship," Tony instructed.

"Yes, boss," the A.I replied, her voice echoing through the comms. There was a brief moment of silence as she scanned the ship. And then, "Lenerick is in the cockpit with another pilot," she told them. "There are forty soldiers in the cargo hold, and a core of some sort. I'm picking up an energy signature."

"The core," Steve guessed. He looked around at the others. "How are we going to get to it?"

"We lure the soldiers out," Ira suggested.

"But how are we going to do that?" Sam asked.

"We force him to," Clint suggested. Ira looked at him, tilting her head to the side.

"How?"

"We make him think that it's the only way," Clint explained. "We go out in the open. When he starts firing at us, we dodge the missiles and we keep dodging them. It'll make him think that he has to deploy the soldiers, because the guns aren't working."
They all looked at each other, agreement passing over their faces. "Those guns have a blast radius of at least twenty feet," Tony warned. "It won't be easy."

"Yeah, well what else is new?" Sam asked, smirking.

"Alright, here's the plan. The people who can fly will help the people who can't. Pietro," he said, looking at the silver-haired speedster. "Help people on the ground to avoid the blasts. Ira and Wanda, use your powers." He looked at all of them. "If we work together, we can do this."

"Well then," Tony asked. "What are we waiting for?"

They all stood up, and moved out from behind the mound of rubble that was protecting them, heading out into the open. Almost immediately, the guns swiveled towards them, but they didn't fire. "Have you finally come out of hiding?" Lenerick's sneering voice called from the ship.

"Ready?" Tony murmured into the comms as they all spread out. None of them made a move to answer Lenerick's taunt, which further provoked him. The guns turned towards the separate groups that the Avengers had split into, and began to fire.
Ira saw a missile coming towards her, and used her powers to propel herself over the missile and into safety. She noticed another Clint in the path of a missile, and shot a beam of energy at him, which pushed him out of the reach of the missile's blast. He landed in a crouch, and sent a grateful look her way before leaping out of the way of another missile.