Everly || Steve Rogers

24. From Bad to Worse

Steve and Everly rushed back to the bridge where Natasha and Clint were struggling to fend off the onslaught of chitauri. Steve leapt over a car, bringing his shield down on one alien as Everly reached to grab a staff lying on the ground. 

She dropped to one knee and spun in a circle, taking out one chitauri with the swing, and another with the blast that followed. Her head was almost taken off as yet another chitauri soldier flew past her, knocked back from Steve's shield. When it fell to the ground beside her, she plunged her staff into its chest before it got the chance to get up. She grabbed the staff with both hands and used it to assist her in doing an aerial, bringing her foot down on the face of an approaching chitauri. 

Everly jumped as, a few feet from where she was standing, beams of lightning reached down to touch the earth, taking out three more aliens. Next thing she knew, Thor fell from the sky, landing abruptly and leaning against a car to steady himself.

"What's the story upstairs?" Steve walked over, sliding his shield onto his arm.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable." Thor breathed.

"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys." Stark interrupted.

"How do we do this?" Nat asked.

"As a team." Steve replied confidently. Everly huffed.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor grumbled.

Clint readied a few of his arrows. "Yeah? Well, get in line."

"Save it. Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us, and that's what we need." Everly sighed, hating to admit that Steve was right. Though she didn't want to be stuck in the middle of the fight, it was better her than a bunch of other people who were much less capable of not dying.

"Without him, these things could run wild." Steve took a few steps backward. "We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to-" He stopped and spun around at the sound of a motorcycle approaching. Everly smirked. Bruce sat atop a rusty old motorcycle, making his way toward them through the debris. He slowed to a stop and took a few steps forward, holding his arms out to his sides.

"So, this all seems horrible." He said simply.

"I've seen worse." Natasha nodded.

"Sorry."

"No, we could use a little worse." A small grin spread across her lips.

"Stark, we got him." Everly said into her earpiece.

"Banner?"

"Just like you said." Steve seemed almost as surprised to see him as Everly.

"Tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

"Uh... What?" Everly looked into the sky, waiting for the familiar red and gold suit to fly past. And as it rounded a corner, she saw the giant creature that followed. One of its fins crashed through a building, demolishing the structure, though it continued on as if nothing had happened. Thor groaned.

"I don't see how that's a party." Everly stuttered as she shifted her weight nervously between her feet. Bruce looked from the group to the giant alien and started toward it. 

"Dr. Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Steve finally accepted that the 'other guy' needed to make an appearance for any this to work out. Bruce looked back at Steve, but continued walking forward as the beast drew nearer, crashing through the street like a wrecking ball.

"That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry." Banner came to a stop and turned back to the enormous, flying space worm. As he turned, he swung his fist and began to change. Everly took a step back as his skin turned an alarming shade of green. He grew big enough that his shirt was almost instantly reduced to nothing more than a few shreds of cloth. His fist met the alien's face and stopped it dead in its tracks. The front of it gouged a path in the street as the tail end flipped overtop of it. The hulk was pushed back a ways as well, his feet digging into the concrete. The sections of metal armor along the creature's body each popped off and the loud clang of metal filled Everly's ears along with Hulk's roar. The creature came crashing to the ground, heading straight for them.