Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

47 - Battle of Sokovia, Pt. I

"ULTRON KNOWS WE'RE COMING," STEVE SAID TO THE TEAM AS THEY FLEW TO SOKOVIA. "Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out. All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us." He looked at the heroes around him. "Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

When they landed in Sokovia, Pietro and Wanda were the first to leave, with Pietro going off to warn the city and Wanda using her powers to make the people evacuate. The rest of the team helped in the evacuation as well, instructing the people where to go and to get out as fast as they could.

"Steve," Raevanna said as the people walked past them. "I don't think everyone's going to get out of here in time. There's no telling when Ultron will strike the city."

Steve nodded at her. "They'll be fine. Let's just keep them moving."

Raevanna sighed, shaking her head. Sometimes she wished Steve wasn't so optimistic.

Suddenly the ground rumbled underneath their feet, shaking the city. Then, seconds later, Ultron's army of robots swooped down from the sky, firing on the city as everyone was evacuating. Raevanna tensed when the sounds of laser fire hit her ears, knowing exactly what it was. 

"Go!" Steve shouted to the people as they ran in panic.

"Get off the bridge!" Wanda told them. "Run!"

Raevanna's leapt up and around, taking out the robots in order to protect the people. But then, as she landed on the street below her, the ground began to shake violently, and she heard the sound of stone and concrete breaking and dirt crumbling. Confused, she stepped back, feeling the ground shifting under her feet, and soon she felt a cool whoosh of air rushing across her face.

"Steve, what's going on?" Raevanna asked. "What's happening?"

"It's Ultron," Steve said. "He... he figured out a way to levitate the city."

Raevanna's blood went cold. "Oh, god."

The eerie silence that enveloped the city was deafening, and even as Raevanna fought off more robots, it still sent chills up her spine.

"Do you see?" came Ultron's voice, echoing around them as the city continued to rise. "The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Raevanna gritted her teeth, dodging the blast from another robot before leaping forward and punching it in the face. Then, she spun around, only to be tackled by another one. She growled in frustration, lifting her foot and kicking it away just as it started to fire at her. Once she was free, she jumped to her feet, only to sidestep out of the way as a weapon went hurtling past her. The sound of shattering metal told her exactly what it was, and she grinned before facing the culprit.

"Thanks, Blake," Raevanna said.

"Don't mention it," Blake said with a nod. "You good?"

Raevanna nodded back. "So far."

Blake smiled. "Well, that's better than a no." Raevanna grinned, and Blake motioned for her to follow before saying, "Come on. The fight's not over yet."