Iron Sparks

Chapter 11: The Battle

As we approach New York, I can see the Stark Tower in the distance. From the platform, a large blast soars to the sky, much like the Tesseract did back in the lab all those days ago. It begins to open a portal in the sky, much larger than the one Loki stepped through. Thousands of alien spaceships begin flying through the hole. It's started. 

I can faintly see my dad flying towards the portal and firing at the incoming enemy. My stomach flips. Please be ok. 

On the ground below, the Chitauri have begun their destruction of the city; blowing up buildings and terrorising civilians. We have to get those people to safety. Nat speaks to dad. He sounds out of breath. I keep my mouth shut, not alerting him to my presence just yet. Nat swings the plane around and begins to descend into the streets. I'm thrown to the side by the sudden movement but the Captain grabs me by my waist and lifts me back to my feet. 

'Thanks.' I say as I grab onto a handle, holding on tightly. This ride is about to get a little bumpy. 

'Here, take this.' Steve instructs, handing me a small device 

'What is it?' 

'A com-link, so you can hear what's going on.'

'Cool.' I smile, slipping the device into my ear, secretly happy that I'm now officially part of the team. Not quite an avenger, but still part of the team.

Natasha and Clint begin firing at the Chitauri soldiers who are flying through the air. I can't quite see what's going on but I feel the plane twist and turn. I strap myself into the seat before Nat's flying tosses me around. I recognise the Stark Tower as Nat begins firing at the balcony but a flash of blue hits the side of the plane opposite me. Smoke clouds the cockpit and the plane begins to fall to the side. I prepare myself for a crash landing, holding on to my seat tightly as I'm lurched to the side. Nat tries her best to stabilise the plane as we fall through the air, spinning around in circles. She manages to gain enough control for us to descend without smacking into any buildings but the plane still crashes onto the street below. The restraints on my seat stop me from being thrown forward as we eventually slow to a halt, skidding along the concrete ground. I quickly unbuckle and run into the street. The wing of the plane is in flames and the front is smashed to pieces. I can't believe I was flying in that thing. 

I run after the Captain, Nat and Clint. The streets are in utter chaos. Cars are flipped over, smoke from fires clouds the air. The ground has been smashed up and people are running around screaming, completely terrified by the sudden appearance of aliens in New York. 

'We've got to get back up there!' The captain yells as we run after him. He suddenly stops in front of the library. A large groan fills the sky. I look up. Slowly out of the portal, a weird snake like creatures fly out. Except they aren't like snakes because they are massive. I take a small gulp and slip on my mask, which covers enough of my face so I won't be recognised, and I bring out my knifes, their sharp edges glinting in the sun. Here we go, I think, getting into an offensive stance. Remember what Nat taught you. Control your breathing. You can do this. Adrenaline begins to kick in and the familiar pulse of energy returns. I can feel it dancing in my fingers. It encourages me to be brave. I'm ready to fight.

The large snake creatures slither through the air, their wings smashing the heads off statues and crashing into the sides of buildings. People run around trying to escape the winged serpents but they don't know where to go. They don't know where it is safe. Chitauri soldiers jump off the serpents and begin scaling the sides of buildings, smashing windows with their hands and climbing inside. There are people inside. They could be dying. Maybe they're already dead. I try not to think too much. I have to stay focused. 

'Stark, are you seeing this?'  Steve asks over the comms.

'Seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner, has he shown up yet?'