Frostbite

Sixteen

Ultron had used the vibranium to create the core and isolate us in the air, but I guess that didn't mean he'd let up; his minions were still coming. It was a never-ending fight. Every time I turned, there was another one to dispatch. It was becoming tedious.

There was a loud clank behind me, and I quickly spun around. I turned too late, because the bot took a shot and grazed my thigh, sending me to my knees. It didn't have a chance to take another one though, because I blasted it through a nearby window. Cursing, I climbed back to my feet, wincing in pain.

The wound wasn't life threatening but I touched my fingers lightly to the area, chilling it, helping with the throbbing. A small family ran around the corner, screaming, as they were chased. I immediately jumped in front of them, taking the groups focus. They didn't hesitate.

One zoomed straight towards me, not even bothering to fire. I dodged out of the way, but ended up getting smacked by another from a different angle, which caused me to thud hard onto my back. I tried to catch my breath as the bot loomed over me threateningly. Before it could make another move, a blur of black and red smashed into it. Natasha finished it off and swung around to offer me a hand.

"Thanks, it seems all I've been doing is falling on my ass. I thought you and Bruce were supposed to get out of here," I added, cocking a brow and taking her outstretched hand. Suddenly the Hulk tore through the street roaring, taking out any enemies in his path along the way. And just like that, he disappeared into the city again.

"We had some unfinished business," she smirked. I shook my head and jumped back into the fight.

Thor and Steve eventually rejoined us. I tossed one of the bots into a car, freezing and trapping it there. I turned just in time to see Ultron overhead, zeroing in on Thor.

"Thor! You're bothering me," Ultron said as he swooped down and snatched him up from the ground. They were out of sight in seconds, but Thor could handle himself.

"Alright, we're all clear here," Clint informed everyone.

"We are not clear! We are very not clear!" Steve huffed back, kicking his shield and slicing through one of the robots. Another one snuck up behind him, and I quickly sent shards of ice it's way, covering every inch of its body. It crumpled to the ground, and Steve glanced down in surprise and then gave me a quick smile of thanks.

"Alright, coming to you," Clint replied.

"Romanoff!" Steve called as he threw his shield to her. She snatched it from the air and flung it in front of herself, blocking an incoming blow. She kicked its feet out from under it and smashed its head in.

"Thanks," she said, tossing it back to him.

"The next wave's gonna hit any minute. What have you got, Stark?" Steve asked while catching his breath.

"Well, nothing great. 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."

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice," Tony informed us gravely.

"Cap, these people are going nowhere. If Stark finds a way to blow this rock..." Nat started to say.

"Not 'til everyone's safe," he told her shortly.

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there," I said incredulously, shaking my head.

"I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it," Steve told us sternly.

"I didn't say we should leave," Natasha replied simply, "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

"I couldn't tell ya," he murmured as his blue eyes rested on me. My heart fluttered under his gaze, even though our fates hung in the balance. I placed my hand in his, and the three of us stared out at the horizon.

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better," a voice mused in our ears. A helicarrier slowly peeked over the edge of the city, rising above us spectacularly.

"Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do," Fury told us proudly.

"Fury, you son of a bitch," Steve exclaimed in relief.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D?" Pietro suddenly asked next to me, gazing out at the smaller lifeboats flying towards us. He had appeared out of thin air. 

"This is what S.H.I.E.L.D is supposed to be," I told him with a small smile.

"This is not so bad," he admitted with a wide grin.

"Let's load 'em up," Steve ordered. We made our way back from the edge and started rounding the civilians up and escorting them onto the boats.

We seemed to have gotten lucky, and Ultron's army had backed off for the time being. Thor eventually crackled through comms, warning us that they were after the core. We instructed the police officers to keep loading everyone onto the boats as quickly as possible.

"Avengers, time to work for a living," Tony announced as he blasted past us and towards the center of the city.