Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

23 - Battle of New York, Pt. I

RAEVANNA WAS SILENT AS CLINT AND NATASHA FLEW THE QUINJET TO THE CITY. Worry was eating away at her, making her leg bounce in anxiousness. This battle was something she couldn't avoid, but it was something she wished that she could. She was scared beyond belief, for a lot of different reasons. But fear made her stronger. She had to use it, not fall victim to it.

As they entered Manhattan, the Chitauri poured out of the portal above Stark Tower, unleashing on the New Yorkers that filled the streets. The blasts ravaged across the city, blowing up cars and setting storefronts aflame. An explosion ripped out the windows of the top corners of buildings, flame and stone rained down, and a domino-effect of explosions rippled across the bridge.

"Stark, we're heading north east," Natasha said to Tony.

"What, did you stop for drive-thru?" Tony replied. "Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you."

Moments later, Tony flew up towards them, putting the pursuing Chitauri in view of the quinjet. Natasha took out the machine gun and fired at the speeding aliens, and after a moment Clint looked out his left window, finding a target. Loki.

"Yeah," he said.

Natasha nodded. "See them."

Clint banked the jet towards Stark Tower and aimed the minigun at Loki. However, Loki aimed his scepter at the quinjet and fired a blast of energy at it. Thor, who had been battling Loki, quickly got to his feet and tackled Loki down hard, but the damage was already done. The energy had struck the wing of the quinjet, and it was now on fire as Clint maneuvered one wing of the jet.

Raevanna gripped onto the seat tightly as the jet spun and slowed. Dropping out of the air as it passed over skyscrapers, it slammed into the street and skidded across the road before coming to a halt in front of the building. However, thankfully none of them had been harmed, so Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Raevanna unfastened their seatbelts and opened the ramp before running down and out of the jet.

The four of them arrived in the middle of a four-way street. Raevanna looked around, smoothing back her hair in disbelief as aliens sped through the streets and fired upon the city. She couldn't believe it; how many aliens were there?

Suddenly, the city lurched to a stop as a deep, primal roar bellowed out. With that roar, a shadow came over them, and when they looked up they saw a huge flying Chitauri leviathan descending down from the portal, carrying hundreds of soldiers. The massive beast passed over the four as they watched, and from both sides of the leviathan, Chitauri soldiers sprang off and attached themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some crashed into these buildings and began firing their energy rifles at innocent people.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"Seeing, still working on believing," Tony replied. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?" Steve repeated in confusion.

"Just keep me posted," Tony told him.

The four heroes ran across the street and hid behind some taxis. Looking up, they saw Loki taking his band of aliens flying down the street and firing at it in a chain of explosions, smashing cars and hurling people as it went off in one final conflagration. Terrified citizens fled from Loki, looking over their shoulders in disbelief. Raevanna's heart dropped at the sight, and her hands balled into fists.

"Those people need assistance down there," Steve said, looking down from the bridge.

Suddenly, Chitauri soldiers that had landed near them began firing at them. Natasha pulled out both pistols and fired at them, then turned to Cap.